Dead Lost
by MellyHorror-Salvatore-Northman
Summary: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will it work? Or will they be driven apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

That night I hadn't expected to be interrupted, my bath was ready, hot piping and smelled good. I had nail polish, a foot spa, and a movie marathon set up. I had finally had a night of peace, if I ignored the thunder and lightening, and then the knocking on my door disrupted it. With a saddened sigh I walked to the door and pulled it open.

My heart slammed against my chest and then stopped, "Pam?" thunder cracked in the sky, lightening flashed and the rain continued to poor down, "Come in! Let me get you a towel." I left the door ajar and rushed to my bathroom to get the vampire a towel.

"Thank you." She said her voice soft, quiet, and weird. She took the band out of her hair and toweled it off, her blue eyes scanning the house, and me.

"Let me get you something to change into." I dashed up the stairs, grabbed a shirt and a pair of shorts and went back downstairs, "don't worry, the fairies are out." I directed her to the bathroom and then closed and locked the front door.

I offered her blood and she said she'd like one, so I went in the kitchen and warmed one up, when I went into the living room she was standing by the fireplace looking at the pictures, I gave them a sideways glance.

"The girl is very pretty. Where are they now?" Pam asked, she was still toweling her long hair.

"With Claude." I replied, holding out the bottle, "they're his kids."

"They look like you." I shrugged and glanced at the picture of the blonde four year olds, their eyes were emerald green, and there skin two shades tanner than mine. I'd been pretty angry when Claude told me his kids would be living with us; I hadn't even known he had kids, "how have you been Sookie?" Pam interrupted my thoughts.

"I've been good Pam, and you?" I answer crossing over to my couch and sitting down, adjusting my robe.

"I was good, but I'm not here under happy circumstances." She looked, and sounded, genuinely sorry she was here, and after a brief pause she continued, "I understand if you don't want to help. But it seems Eric is in need of your assistance."

Why did that _not _surprise me, "yeah and how can I help?" I moved adjusted myself on the couch, Pam took a seat in the arm chair across from me, and we both glanced toward the clock, 2am.

"I need you to come to Oklahoma with me, the queen wishes to hire you. Of course you don't have to." She actually took a sip of her blood, "the queen had a pet, a telepath like you, and someone has abducted her. The queen believes it was humans, she's already hired a witch to hunt, but she would love if you could come to help."

I made a mental note that Pam referred to her as the "queen". She had never once called Felipe or Sophie "king" or "queen" if they were not around, it was odd.

"I would love _not_ coming to help." I replied, Pam raised her eyebrow in shock, "what was this telepaths name?"

"Linda." Pam answers, then goes on to explain the circumstances, "you're Fae are home. Don't worry I can handle myself, Linda was a fairy." A few seconds later Dermot, Claude and the twins walked in.

The older of the fairies halted instantly while the kids skipped over to me, "What is that Fanger doing here?" Claude hissed, glaring at the back of Pam's head as if willing it to light on fire.

"Mind you manners Claude." I snapped, Pam glanced at the kids with an unidentifiable look in her eyes, her gaze quickly returned to me. I could see she really had no longing for children, "Pam is here as a guest, much like you are." He huffed and corralled the children up the stairs, away from Pam.

"Please excuse his rudeness." Dermot said as he passed us and went upstairs, I turned back to Pam who was taking another sip of the blood. She raised an eyebrow at me, waiting for my answer.

"Do you have any suspects?" I caved, I needed a break from being here I was going stir crazy, with almost a year of nobody trying to kill me or harm me or claim me. Was it so weird that I wanted the hectic life I had before?

"One of the crazy church groups up there, or a drainer wanting to lure a vampire after him, we're not sure yet. But so far all signs point to humans." She glanced at the clock once more, 2:45. Thunder claps outside, but the windows shake and rumble with them.

"You can stay in the hidey-hole if you need Pam. I will think over the request and have an answer when you rise." She nods, "how has he been?"

"He is surviving. How have you been?" she seemed like she genuinely cared about me, but when replying to Eric she was hasty and indifferent, another mental note.

"I've been…going through the motions as it seems." I answer honestly, in the back of my mind Eric's voice echoed through my head, _she's a better friend then you know. _I trusted her, even after a year of not seeing her-or any vampires-, I still did. It was one more thing that set me apart from everyone else. Crazy old Sookie Stackhouse. I almost smiled.

"Well, maybe I'll get you out of the motions and into living." She finished her blood and took it to the kitchen, yet I had hardly moved and she was standing at the foot of the couch, "so hidey-hole?"

I showed her where it was, said goodnight, took my bath, dressed and crawled in bed, I fell asleep a few seconds after I crawled in, that night I dreamt of a lot of things, mostly Eric and Pam and that horrible fight with Victor.

When I woke up the next afternoon I heard people running around the house, it took me a few minutes to fully wake up and then I went into the bathroom to shower and get dressed before entering the kitchen. And it was a _mess_.

Flour was everywhere, empty egg cartons, smashed eggs, spilled milk, water, batter, dirty dripping dishes. I found the two culprits standing in the middle of the kitchen, a mess and grinning from ear to ear as their faces turned red, "sorry Aunt Sookie, we were just trying to make you breakfast." Genie explains her face reddening more. Max's face matched hers.

"It's alright; do you two need some help?" they nod and I pull my hair up into a pony tail, stepping up to the mixer and seeing what they had done. A half an hour later, we were all sitting down to breakfast, the twins chattering away about school on Friday.

Once we were finished they departed to separate bathrooms while I washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen, surprisingly easier then I thought. Claude and Dermot had already left for work and I was taking the Twin's to a birthday party. Before I left I made sure the house was locked up, I couldn't risk anything happening to Pam.

I dropped the kids off at the party; the mom of the birthday girl said she would bring the kids back home, after I double checked she could find the house, I drove over to Merlotte's, Sam was shocked to see me and he almost came around the bar to hug me, but one look from Hopper stopped him.

"What are you doing here Sookie?" he asked, handing Andy a glass of soda. I took a seat one down from the cop and ordered a soda as well, _Jannalynn_left a few minutes later, but not before giving Sam a kiss that clearly embarrassed him, shooting me a nasty look on her way out.

Ever since that Sandra incident she has decided that I was even farther beneath her than I had been before, I ignored her glare and drank my soda in peace, "sorry about that Sookie. Are you okay? Something seems wrong."

"Yeah actually. Pam stopped by this morning." He visibly tensed, "something has happened in Okalahoma and the Queen needs my help."

"Are you going?" I shrugged, I had no idea if I was going or not, I hadn't actually sat down to think about it, "well what happened?" I took a sip of my glass.

"Someone, like me, went missing a few days ago I guess. They've hired a…specialist, to try and find her and want someone, like me, to help them." I spin the glass around, "I want to go help, because I feel bad."

"They can always get someone else, like Barry." I shrug and nod, "well either way I've got enough waitresses to cover for you Sook." He says, and then goes on to serve others. I stay at the bar for a little bit longer and then drive over to the library to return books and browse for new ones.

I get so caught up looking for books, and thinking over what Pam asked, and reading some of the books; it was half an hour to sundown by the time I was almost home, when I pulled up the sun was down and I could see that both of the kids were in the kitchen.

I grabbed my books, purse and keys before running up the steps and into the house, "sorry I was so late." I stopped dead in my tracks, this was the second time today I'd come into my kitchen and found it _trashed_. Again.

This time I found Pam helping the twins create the mess, "Oh. My. God." The twins stopped dead and Pam halted before she collided with Genie, "what are you doing _now_?"

"We wanted to surprise you and daddy before you got home, and since Vampire Pam was up and let us in I asked if she'd like to help. She agreed." Max explained, "Sorry Aunt Sookie."

"It's okay. What were you making?" I set my stuff down on the table outside the kitchen, "can I help?"

"No! Go!" Genie pushed me out with all her little might, which was really not much, with a sigh I walked down to my room with my books. A half an hour later Pam knocked on my door. I called that she could come in and set my book down, sitting up on my bed.

"Have you made your decision?" she asks, closing the door behind her, her voice dropping a little lower.

"Do you have the contract?" I decided there was no need to shy around the corner, "I want to look it over before I agree."

She nodded, disappeared for a minute and came back holding two page contract, I took it from her, read over it twice, "alright. I would seem you two remembered our old agreement. I'll go with you." I took the pen she offered me and signed the contract, she tucked it safely back into her purse.

"We'll leave tomorrow evening then, sound good?" I nod, "are you going to stay here?"

"Of course. I enjoy watching your cousin squirm." She gave me her catty smile, "dinner is ready and Claude and Dermot are home." We both head out to the kitchen, which is now clean, and sit down with the two Fae and the Twins.

Pam sips at her TruBlood and keeps up a casual conversation with Dermot, while Claude glares holes into Pam's head, finally after the twins had cleared the table and gone to shower I told Dermot and Claude that I was leaving.

Naturally Claude's first reaction was to tell me I was an idiot, "yeah, well they need my help and I could sure use the money. Besides I figure you two can get along with out me for awhile, right?"

"Yes, we'll be fine. Are you going to be okay, being around all those vampires?" I resisted the urge to kick Dermot under the table, "What?" he asked defensively, his face showing his confusion at my glare.

"Does Pam not know?" Claude asked, his voice taking a hopeful tone.

I was still questioning how I didn't launch myself across the table, "No. She didn't." I got up, deposited my plate in the sink and said I was going to bed. I was not sure _how _to explain my situation.

When she came knocking around 3 am, I was ready. I tucked my hair behind my ears and pulled open the door, letting my shields down, she visibly took a step back her fangs descending and her eyes dilating, "Well…that was unexpected."

**Good? Bad? Worth Continuing? **

**-Mel**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

**AN: I forgot to mention, my Sookie has had time to think about a lot of things and has changed a bit since Dead Reckoning, I hope you like my Sookie! **

**Thank you so much for the reviews/alerts/favorites. If I haven't replied to your review, I will soon. Fanfiction went all wonky on me when I tried to reply. **

I stepped back and let Pam into the room, tucking my hair back over my ears, only to have Pam brush it back over to examine them, "interesting." She said, mostly to herself, and then she circled me, inspecting everything she could, her fangs still descended.

"Pam? You're looking at me like I'm dinner." I say, pointblank, "do you mind?"

Her fangs retract with a pop and her eyes meet my eyes, "they've gotten bluer." She says, "and you look…younger."

I shrug, "not surprising."

"Tomorrow I want to know everything that is changed. I'm going to run some errands I need to and then come back and go to bed, have a good evening Sookie."

I suppose I may have rushed into accepting Pam's, or was it the Queens?, offer. But I was itching to get out of Bon Temps. I had been here for a year, just going through the motions, and changes. The only people I saw were the people at the bar, my cousins and the kids. I needed a break from _normal. _I'd had enough of it for now.

Sure I was nervous, at meeting Eric and his new wife, even after what happened between us a part of me still clung to the belief that he still loved me. The fight was stupid, and I blew it out of proportion. He was offering me the only protection he could, and I knew that.

"_Sookie, I'm not leaving __**you**__." Eric says again the anger seeping into his words, "I don't have a choice."_

"_Ha! That's a load of horse shit! You and I both know you have a choice, just because our bond in broken doesn't mean I don't know!" I yelled back, clearly not as calm as my 'husband' was still being._

"_Sookie, please calm down." He said through gritted teeth, "You're over reacting. I'm not trying to-."_

"_You asked me to be your __**pet**__. You're __**pet! **__You know how much that hurts?" I scream back, cutting him off, "Don't you dare pretend you don't have a choice, and don't you dare treat me like I'm some…toy! You do that enough!" my anger bubbled over, and exploded like a volcano_

"_Sookie…I'm sorry." He says, reaching toward me,, I step back and he pulls his hand back to his side, "I didn't mean to offend you Sookie…"_

"_Eric, just go. I can't talk to you right now." But he won't leave. He stands there, "Why do you want me to come with you? The bond was your way to what, claim me? My power? The marriage, you said was for "my own protection". Do you really love me?"_

_He looked, passive; his face didn't change, "Do you?" when he doesn't answer I dropped my gaze to the floor,, hiding my tears, "Eric Northman, I rescind your invitation to enter my home."_

_He silently left the house, the door swinging shut behind him, leaving me alone, tears streaming down my face. __**All because of his stupid maker.**__ I drop to the floor, in the middle of my living room, leaning against my couch, letting the tears roll down my cheeks. _

_I heard the door open I didn't say anything, assuming it was Dermot, so I wasn't expecting the blonde vampire sit down beside me and cautiously put her arm around my shoulder, holding me-although uncomfortable for her-while I cried._

Thinking about it now, I blew up, _bad. _ I had been so upset about a lot of things when Eric suggested I leave my life behind and come live with him, yet another person trying to manipulate my life, I exploded.

The only thing that haunted me was that he didn't answer me; he didn't say he loved me. But he didn't say he didn't love me. He just refused to answer. I could take that one of three ways, he didn't want to admit his feelings-not likely, he didn't love me- iffy, he didn't want to make his leaving harder-probable.

Either way, I was over it. And a person needed my help. Why wouldn't I help? It was the right thing to do, regardless of who I was helping. Besides, I'd been dying to know just how pretty she was, I wasn't fooling myself I knew she was probably gorgeous, but I had to know. One of those weird things about me.

The next night Pam drove us at top speed to the airport, in her blue rental car. She was telling me everything I would need to know, and some stuff I was sure I didn't, about the Queen, personnel, how the mansion ran, and how I'd be able to leave the mansion and return during the day. By the time we actually got to the airport she had steered the conversation back to my surprise from last night.

"When did this start happening?" she asked, motioning toward my ears, that were hidden behind my hair to keep the pointed-ness from the humans eyes. "I don't recall seeing those a year ago."

"It started a few months after Eric left. I'm assuming it's because the vampire blood was out of my system and the bond was gone." I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable.

I could feel waves of a strong emotion roll off of Pam, and my best guess was anger, "I noticed the scent first, Sam, Jannalynn and stray vampires that came in were the first to notice it, and I noticed them noticing it. I started practicing tamping it down. The scent from Dermot and Claude was bad enough. Then the ears started, and then I could completely turn off my ability. To hear people."

"Can you read vampires?" Pam looked away from the road and at me, my heart beat jumped a little.

"No!" I shrieked, half because the thought of being in their heads was scary enough, if I could actually do it?, and the other half because she was driving without looking at the road.

"I was just asking." She replied, laughing as she, thankfully, pulled the car to a stop, "I'm going to return the car, wait for me there." She pointed to some chairs and I obediently went and sat in them, Pam returned a few moments later and pushed me through security and into a seat on the plane.

We were the only people on the plane aside from the personnel, Pam had booked every seat on the damn plane, I was surprised she didn't have a personal jet, "we have to make a stop in Arkansas, to pick up our witch."

"Alright." I answered, stretching out in the seat, Pam stretched out across from me, and for the first time I noticed the vampiress was in jeans, a tank top and heels. She watched me, going from head to toe, examining me once more. This time more like a specimen on a doctors lab table than like I was dinner.

"So, have you obtained any new powers I should be informed of? If so now is the time."

"Well, besides my telepathy and Supes increased interest in me; I can heal minor wounds. I can glamour too, just like you guys. I guess that's why vampires could never glamour me, I can see the in dark now." I pause, trying to remember anything else.

Pam hummed, telling me she was listening, "and I can levitate, that's about all I can remember happening."

"Well, if anything comes up please tell me, okay?" I nod and pick up my book, Pam turns her attention to her book reader, and the ride is silent until we touch down in Arkansas at 8. Pam moved quickly through the airport, dragging me behind her and muttering in another language, I guess our witch was supposed to meet us here, and didn't show up.

She rented a car and tore down the roads to a rural area with abandoned, empty, dilapidated buildings until we pulled up at one that looked completely out of place. A well built, well kept, painted, house.

But something else felt weird about the house.

"Great." Pam said, looking down at her pumps, she pulled them off, tossing them in the backseat, and stepped out of the car, waving for me to follow her. The ground was wet and squished under my tennis shoes; I was disgusted with the squelching sound almost as much as I was amused by it.

We walked up onto the porch, Pam knocked on the door and when nobody answered or opened up, she kicked it in stepped inside and tugged me close behind her. I didn't bother asking why she could just walk in.

"Vera!" she called out into the house, nobody answered her. "Stay close to me." She muttered, crossing the enterance way to a door by the stairs, she pulled it open and started down the stairs, I rushed after her.

Half way down the smell of incense hit me, hard. The smell engulfed the stair well and made my eyes water, I could feel the magic, it vibrated through the room, and made the air pop and crackle, "Pam.." I whispered, nerves eating at my stomach, what were we about to walk into?

"It's okay. Whoever was here is gone now." She hits the bottom of the stairs and halts so quickly I bump into her, she grabs me so I don't fall back down onto the stairs.

I look past her shoulder, my eyes adjusting to the dark quickly. There, lying on a three cushion couch, curled up in a ball with her feet on a table and her hip hanging in the air, was a girl who couldn't have been a day over 18.

Her eyes were closed, her face peaceful and youthful. Her hair was a curly mess and hanging around her face, from what I could tell it seemed…purple. The air around her vibrated, I could tell something was around her, protecting her. She looked peaceful, and hardly aware that anyone was in the room with her.

I glanced around the room; on a table next to the couch was a lot of incense burning, as well as a few candles. Pam stepped up and laid her hand on the shimmering barrier, it rippled and the incense flickered.

"Pam." I grabbed her arm and pulled her back as the flames shot right through where Pam had been standing. I knew that would happen. I didn't now how. Inside the sleeping girl barely twitched. I wondered if she was breathing, but then again the barrier was still up.

Pam gave me a look of surprise that I had yanked her back and off of her feet, my strength and speed had improved a bit I guess? I hadn't noticed much, because I don't haul stuff around.

Pam stared at the candles and then pulled a water bottle off of the table at the girl's feet, she dumped the water on the candles, the barrier around the girl went out and she jerked up, eyes black as coal, solid black, no whites or any other color, she looked scary, I almost jumped.

"Oh, Jesus it's just you Pam." She sighed, settling back down on her couch, her black eyes trailed over to me, "who are you?"

"Sookie." I answered. She nodded before standing up and stretching, her half shirt revealing very intricate tattoos, there were spirals crawling up her right side, and another weird design up her left, with lines, curves and dots, they met in the middle and created a sort of image of two dragons fighting.

"I'll be ready in like…30 minutes." She moved past Pam, without touching her, and went up the stairs. Pam grabbed my arm and dragged me up the stairs behind her and into a living room, or at least I assumed it was. The only piece of furniture was the couch that we were sitting on now.

When the girl reemerged I could finally get a clear view of her, she was around Pam's height and build. Her hair is long and purple with black underside, she has it pulled into a braid which revealed that her ears are pierced 8 times each, and she has a tattoo on her temple that I can't quite see, her lip is pierced on the left and her nose is pierced in the middle, her eyes were now fading from black.

She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a shirt that read "you say villain like it's a bad thing" with a small spot under it that said "universal studios". The spiral tattoo ran down her leg and to her foot, the tattoo on her left side seemed to stop elsewhere because her left leg was unmarked.

Even with the tattoos and piercing's and dark eyes she still looked very young.

"Ready?" she asked, shoving a phone into her pocket, headphones hung out of her shirt and I could see the outline of an iPod in her pocket, Pam stands up pulling me with her, she grabs the young girls arm and drags us both from the house, with haste.

On the way back to the airport Pam had a very angry conversation in what I would guess to be Swedish, on the phone. I also guessed it was Eric on the other end of the phone. I sat silently in the passenger seat, and silently in my seat on the plane.

When we finally land in Oklahoma it's about 11, a limo is waiting for us outside and we slid in, Pam hands us each a file and we read over it. She went missing 3 days ago during the day, estimated time 10am, she went missing from the kitchen, nobody else was around, and the queen didn't know why she had been out of her chambers.

"So I'll be needed to recreate what happened, and she'll be needed for…what?" the girl cast me a sideways glance, I narrowed my eyes at her.

"What she is doing is none of your concern Vera." Pam replied coolly, I glared at the vampire too, but dared not argue, "Do you need anything at the store you two? Or did you fully pack?" her question was mainly addressed to Vera.

"No. I've got everything I need." _Don't be such a bitch. _I was shocked the thought busted through my shields. I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the witch pouting in the corner of the limo.

Everyone fell silent and I found myself staring at the witch, her eyes were a beautiful shade of hazel, they glowed against her pale but freckled face, framed by blonde lashes. She seemed to glow faintly, much like the vampires.

I glanced at the rings in her ears, they all sparkled, blue, green, pink, orange, yellow, black, red, and grey. It made me double check that my hair was over my now pointed ears. I turn to Pam and study her features; her blue eyes and blonde hair were still the same, but her eyes burned with a fire I hadn't seen.

The new Sheriff of area 9 was actually looking younger, even though she was at least 200 years old.

I could feel the witch's eyes burning into the side of my head; I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She was openly watching me, her eyes burning black, she was trying to get in my head, I slammed her out and she tried not to look startled.

She bowed her head slightly in apology, "we're here." Pam broke the silence that had filled the ride here. I turned and looked out the window; the palace was rather large, I could clearly see that this state was run a lot different from the rest.

Several vampires were on the grounds, I could feel at least 50 inactive brains, and 25 Were brains, and several humans. With a low sigh from me the car passed into the gates and Pam stiffened.

Pam got out first, I followed her and Vera got out behind me, most eyes were on us, I kept my back straight and my eyes forward, the attack of thoughts was unnerving, but the only way I could shut the brains out completely would let out my scent, I dealt with it, and pretended I couldn't hear them.

Pam lead us up to the door, down four hallways and into a huge throne room, perched in one of the chairs was a woman with black, pin-straight hair and dark eyes, she scanned across the three of us and then her eyes settled on Pam.

"Pamela." She said curtly, "introductions." Pam bowed her head and then lifted it enough the look at the two of us.

"This is Sookie Stackhouse," I bowed my head, "and Vera Lestrang." Her last name was pronounced, les-traang. I noticed she bowed her head, but just barely, "the witch and telepath that I've found to help locate Li-." Her voice stopped and her head snapped to the side.

Her blue eyes sparkled with joy, even though the rest of her face remained trained to do nothing, I waited for Eric to enter the room, but he never did, and Pam continued her speech.

Vera and I covertly examined the room, the queen seemed to take no notice to our action, or if she did she simply thought we were admiring it. When in reality we were both checking for quick exits, make shift weapons, cameras and guards.

By the time Pam was done speaking I had played out at least 10 scenarios and found 6 weapons, as well as two more pulled from Vera's head, then we were ushered out and sent to our separate rooms, Vera's was right beside mine in the human quarters. I could feel all of the human brains falling to sleep, but one thought managed to push into my brain, _noon. Be up at noon. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

**I apologize for the shortness. **

At noon the next day I was awake and dressed, pulling open to door to find Vera standing outside, her arm posed to knock, she was in a dark shirt that read "some days it's not even worth chewing the restraints" and a pair of black shorts.

"Come on Sookie. We've got things to discuss." She grabs my arm and tows me into the kitchen; _does everyone think I can't walk?_ I wonder absently, not bothering to argue though, because she pushed me into a chair and cooked us up some eggs.

While we ate Vera told me about what she needed me to do during the spell, memorize the persons face and pick through peoples brains to find him, her, or them. After we ate we got a tour of the palace, Vera shooed the guard away she collected her things and walked into the kitchen, announcing that everyone "needed to get the fuck out or she'd cast her witchy spells on them." Everyone scrambled out of the kitchen and I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Vera looked over at me and gave me a lopsided grin before she cleared the floor, swept it and laid out her materials, "Now what's going to happen is the word is going to spin pretty damn fast, and then stop. I'd grab the counter to keep yourself from falling. Nobody will notice you. A hand or two might go through you. The important thing is, don't say a word."

She closes her eyes and speaks, the spell is different then the one Amelia had used, the room turned dark, the sky outside turned dark and then light and repeated at rapid motion before it suddenly stopped, I grabbed the counter and glanced at the clock, 9:30 am.

I stayed where I was standing, next to her, and waited. I watched her, her hair had turned black, her eyes were black, and her whole body paled. The air sizzled and cracked, with all the energy I was surprised that it took awhile for anything to happen but at 9:45 the woman I assumed was Linda entered the kitchen, she was tall, skinny and had a huge chest, her hair was blonde, her eyes were brown and she looked dead tired.

She was pouring milk into her bowl of cereal when it happened, the back door opened, she spun around to scream but before it could leave her mouth she dropped to the floor. The man was wearing a ski mask, the only thing I knew was he was big, muscular and had dark skin and eyes.

That didn't narrow down much, "let's go. Move your arse!" he barked at someone, okay so he was Irish too, a smaller man scuttled into the room, picked the girl up and carried her out the back door.

In a rush of air we were back to the present time, I grabbed the counter to gain my balance once more. I glance down at Vera, her hair is purple again, her eyes are fading back to hazel, "you got that telepath?" she asked, picking up the remains of her ingredients, standing and wavering on her feet. I caught her arm before she fell.

She pulled away from my arm with haste, she tried not to let the fear the crossed her face show through.

"Yeah, time to go explore. You coming with?" I didn't care one way or the other, but I'd rather have someone I know with me.

"Sure." We wandered the halls and I picked the brains of anybody that passed, I couldn't find anything in my initial scans, so tonight during my full exams I'd learn more, hopefully.

The first few rooms we wandered into were boring, but the library was something to marvel at. It was a huge room with a dome ceiling; the book shelves were 9 shelves high and _filled _with books. Most of them were newer, and I spotted older book in the upstairs loft.

Since there was hardly anybody around we made our way up the hidden staircase to the loft, the books were thick, with old binding and the names were in foreign languages. Vera ran her fingers over the binding of one book, it was dark brown with a fancy print, and the language looked Russian.

As if it were made of glass, Vera pulled the book out and crossed to the far end of the room, curling up in the high back black leather chair, "Holy crap." She whispered to herself, her eyes wide with wonder.

I sat in the chair beside her, watching as her eyes took in the book, "what is it?" I ask, breaking the silence.

"It's a ledger, from a small town in Serbia. Dating back from as far back as writing existed. It's got older copies of actually written things translated into the current form of Serbian, since words and such have changed from back then. My whole family is in here." She paused, running her fingers over a word in the book, "this word, here, Veštica, witch. This was written next to my great time 30 grandmother." She pointed to the word which looked nothing like it sounded and started with a B, "and this one, krv dojilja, blood sucker."

"Your family, they were vampires and witches?" she nodded, "some of the vampires are still alive, but they don't like the idea of mainstreaming."

"Did you track them down? Is that how you know?"

"They hunted me down, and scared the crap out of me one night ambushing me." She looked over the page once more, memorizing it and closed the book, "Let's see what else the queen has around here." She put the book away, and browsed the shelves aimlessly.

We found a few book that were also written in Serbian, and then two in English, other then that they were written in German and French. "I wish I could see the top shelf." Vera pouted, looking up at it.

"I can!" I supplied helpfully, I closed my eyes and felt my feet leave the floor, Vera made a surprised sound and when I opened my eyes I was hovering near the top shelves, "it's all German and French. Except for this book. I don't know what it says."

The book has one word on the binding, odödlig, written in red and fancy script, it was darker then the ledger Vera had pulled off the shelf, I read the word to her, "it sounds Swedish." I shrugged and looked around some more, then let myself touch back down on the ground.

"Well, lets go see who we can find." She muttered unenthusiastically.

We walked around for the rest of the day, and when I night came around I was more than happy to go find Pam and tell her what happened. The silence her mind offered made me unwind exponentially; I sat in a chair in the corner of her room while she prepared for the day. I told her what had happened and she nodded and hummed, telling me she was listening.

"Where are you going tonight Pam?" I asked. Before she can answer I feel a brain I knew, one that's silence was familiar. I watched her stiffen her eyes shifting toward the door, she felt him too and we both fell silent until he passed by, "when was the last time you've seen him?" my voice was barely above a whisper, I still stared at the door.

"Almost a year," She replied with a tone that told me she was trying to sound like she didn't care, "I haven't been to the palace since that bitch gave me area 9. Anyways, I'm going to my shop. Would you like to join me? The humans are all off tonight."

"That sounds fun." I glanced at Pam's attire for the evening, a little less harsh then her Fangtasia get up, "what should I wear…?"

"It doesn't matter to me Sookie, but you should change. You smell…odd." She wrinkled her nose and shooed me toward the door.

"Okay. I'll go change." She turned back to the mirror and picked up a tube of mascara.

"I'll come get you when I'm done." I nodded and left the room making a beeline toward the human quarters, I changed into a the first thing I found, a white sundress and sandals, I pulled my hair down, it was still wavy from the day before, and fell down to the middle of my chest.

I put a headband in to push it back-making sure my ears were still covered- and skipped makeup, I found I didn't need much makeup anymore, my skin glowed a natural tan color, I readjusted the headband, and the top of my dress, looking in the mirror. Then I changed my mind, pulled my hair down, clipped some of it back and then slipped on my shoes.

Two short knocks told me Pam was ready. I grabbed my purse, checked my hair and opened the door, Pam openly eyed my attire, I waited patiently until she was done and then we headed out the front door to her car.

Pam's shop was named Croft; it was a dark shop like a Hot Topic Claude had once dragged me into. Clothes lined the walls, filled racks and hung from the ceiling. She had two rows filled with purses, hair things and a check out counter near the door, it was over all very nice, and vampiric, just like Fangtasia. I would attract the kind of people that go vampire bars.

"Feel free to explore." She said, unlocking the doors, 30 minutes later people flooded in. the cliental wasn't as bad as at Fangtasia, but it did have pretty much the same feel to it. I found myself heading toward the checkout counter where Pam was to escape the looks, from both the humans and vampires, any vampires that gave me a second look got a protective growl from Pam.

I got to meet Pam's right hand man, a vampire by the name of Bryant McAlester, he was a younger vampire, muscular and of average height. He told me he used to be in construction, that he wasn't much older than me, he was a pleasant man and very talkative.

Between Bryant and Pam my time was spent talking, and focusing on their minds and not the humans all around. Bryant seemed to assume I was Pam's pet, and I had learned that challenging that wasn't a smart idea, from the looks I was getting from those coming in it was a good thing.

It was close to 3 am before we left the store and drove back to the palace. There were hardly any shops open, and nothing to look at but the starry sky. Half way down the road Pam slammed on her breaks and something hit the roof of the car, I didn't know what it was.

Pam sped off before I could try and figure it out, the gates were hardly opened when Pam skidded through and to a stop that flung me forward, even in my seat belt, my head banged on the window hard. My vision blurred and my eyes watered.

Guards were at our car in seconds flat, pulling the doors open and pulling us out, inspecting us and asking over and over what had happened. I was so flustered that the guards were probably ready to hit me because I couldn't figure out what had just happened.

"Let them go." The guards froze and backed away, one who had been gripping my arm let me go like I was a diseae. I wasn't sure if that was good or not, I looked up from my feet, which I had been previously staring at, and met the blue eyes I've had memorized for 3 years, "Pam, what happened?" he was talking to Pam, but his eyes were locked with mine, staring into me.

"Someone jumped on the roof of my car, I didn't want anything to happen to Sookie." She replied, I broke eye contact with Eric as I reached up and touched my head where it had hit, I felt the blood on my fingers and my heart jumped in my chest.

"Pam, can you walk me to my room?" I asked, my voice sounded panicked. She was at my side in an instant, her arms around my shoulders as she walked me inside as fast as she could. I could feel Eric's eyes burning into my back, "Pam, I'm bleeding."

"I know." She told me, our pace quickened and we were soon inside Pam's room, "You're much safer in here. Let me get something to clean that up." She locked the door, and pushed me into a chair.

She disappeared into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later, "You should stay here for the rest of the night." She muttered, opening a first aid kit, I noticed she kept glancing at the blood on my forehead, "I can't risk someone smelling you."

"Are you like…my personal care taker?" I asked.

"Yes, I am in charge of your well being. If anything were to happen to you it would mean my fangs." She replied, 'ah-ha'ing when she located the alcohol pads.

"Well….why?" I was completely puzzled, as far as I knew my safety never rested on anybody's…fangs.

"Because I care for you Sookie, more than some random vampire the Queen would have appointed for you." She answered, "Now shut up." She grabbed my chin and held my head still, swabbing away at the blood. It stung a little, but I just bit my lip and shut up.

She closed the wound with a bit of her blood and gave me clothes to change into. I sat at the top of her bed while she pulled her hair down and brushed it out, watching my reflection in the mirror the whole time.

I finally broke the silence, "was he angry?"

"No." Pam answered, closing her eyes briefly, "he was…hurt, shocked, and surprised."

I nodded and rested my chin on my knees, "how come you haven't seen him?"

She glanced at me, and shrugged, "I don't know." I knew she was lying, I didn't know how I knew but I knew she was. I watched her pick up her phone, type something and toss it to me, it hit the bed in front of me, and I reached out and grabbed it.

_She wanted him away from anything that made him more human, which is laughable because Eric is anything but, and she wanted him isolated, so he was hers. He had a pet once, or so I heard. But other than that he uses random donors. The queen was quite annoyed at having to call us in._

I looked up to say something but Pam was no longer in the room. I deleted the text and set her phone on the bedside table, curling up in the center of her bed before I fell asleep for the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

Something in my head, a type of ringing, woke me the next afternoon, I sat up, looked around and tried to remember where I was, Pam's room. Right. The ringing in my head wouldn't go away. I blinked and shook my head trying to get rid of it.

Maybe I was really "Crazy Sookie Stackhouse". I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, went into the bathroom and washed my face, yet the ringing still continued. I checked Pam's phone, but it was dead.

"Great. I'm crazy." I told myself, yanking open the bedroom door, and walking straight into Vera, I stumbled back into the wall and Vera caught her balance on a guard passing by, "Sorry." We said at the same time. The guard continued walking his way, and Vera and I went ours.

I noticed offhandedly that Vera shirt today read, "People like you are the reason people like me need medication." I rolled my eyes and she smiled, and then began babbling on about what we were doing today.

Conducting interviews, my _favorite _thing to do.

After breakfast I changed and we were rushed straight to a conference room, handed a list of questions and told to get on with it. Rude Weres. I soon learned the questions were always the same and conducted monthly. So they hardly had to think of an answer, leaving me free to pick their brains while Vera questioned them.

The man never appeared in anyone's head, and in those I got to check nothing popped up, until the second to last worker came in. A younger girl with frizzy brown hair and nervous eyes, she sat down across from Vera and looked back and fourth between the two of us.

Vera was about to ask her the first question when she suddenly started sobbing and her thoughts bombarded my brain, _oh god! They think I killed Linda! All because I kissed her! The queen made them think it was me! What am I going to do? They're going to kill me, oh my god it's all my fault. It's my fault Linda wasn't in the Queens rooms. Oh my god._

"Calm down!" I yelled suddenly, throwing my shields up fast, Vera shifted beside me, glancing at me from the corner of her eye, "you are not a suspect so quit you're crying!" She silenced immediately eyes wide, "alright now answer her questions and you can go. Nobody is blaming you for anything, this is a standard check."

It took a few minutes for her to calm down enough to answer, but when she did I found her brain was an open book, and she had done more than just kissed her. She was the exgirlfriend of the missing telepath, but then there was this part of her brain that was completely…blank.

I didn't find anything malicious about the girl, she just seemed like she wanted her girlfriend back, "Jenna, can you tell me a little about Linda?" she perked up a bit and babbled on for 20 minutes about the girl. Half way through Vera was thinking about breaking her jaw, I put my hand on the witches and indicated that she could leave.

She did so with pleasure.

"Thank you very much for you time Jenna, I have one more question, is there anybody here who wanted Jenna gone?"

"Yeah, the girls, and some guys, who wanted the Queen and her husbands favor." I nodded and waved her out, a few minutes later Vera returned and I shared my information with her. It was about 6pm.

"The Queen has risen?" I inquired, standing to stretch, my back popped.

"Yes, and Pam. She wishes to speak with you before we share our information with the Queen and her husband." I follow her out of the conference room and into Pam's quarter, where she's sitting in front of the mirror again.

"Did you learn anything today?"

"Yes, a woman that works here, Jenna, told me that she was the reason Linda wasn't in the Queen's chambers. Her mind was basically an open book." I paused, "except this one part, she's been glamored to forget something. I can remove it, but I would have to check with the Queen first, incase she had done the glamour. What is the policy regarding those I find guilty?"

"Of course. They are not killed. Are you wearing that to see the queen?" I looked down at the flowery tank top and tan shorts I was wearing, I shrugged, why the hell would I want to impress her?, and with that the three of us headed down to the throne room.

The Queen, whose name I still hadn't gotten, was sitting all pretty in her chair, beside her sat Eric, who looked completely bored, until we stepped in the room. His eyes danced across the three of us back and fourth.

"Ah, my little helpers. Sookie and Vera?" we nod, Pam bows, and we don't, "what have you found?"

"Nothing much, we've seen the kidnappers, kind of, a darker man, tall and big and a smaller, white man skinny and lanky." Vera replied, shrugging her shoulders, "Anything else Sookie?" she tilts her head to look at me.

"One of your workers…Jenna, she told me some things about the missing girl. And why she wasn't in your quarters when she was kidnapped on the victim, I found a block her brain. Are you aware of it?"

"No, I was not." She replies, glancing at Eric who also shook his head, but something that flashed through Eric's eyes tells me maybe he had known about it. I made sure to remember that.

"With you permission, I would like to see if I can figure out what had been glamored out of her." The Queen gave me a look, which pretty much read "what the hell can you do" but I ignored it.

"Also, could you possibly tell me where the Fellowship of the Sun church of this state is located? I would like to see if she is there." Eric gave me a look that told me he did not want me near them; I turned away from him, no sense in letting him think I valued his opinion.

"Sure. I'll get you a map before sunrise. Are you planning on visiting tomorrow?" she asked, looking hopeful that I would.

"I do not know. Like I said, I'd like the location. I believe that is all we have found?" I turn to Vera, she nods in agreement, and the queen smiles, a tight smile that shows me she is annoyed with me, "I do actually have one more question, you say Linda is a fairy, because she is telepathic, but telepathy is not a fairy trait, so what is she?"

"Well, I do not rightly know, but she is a Fae and telepathic, perhaps you should bring that up with her. Thank you for that for your information. Now I would like to know what happened on your return home last night Pam." Her voice is stern, but in way that tells me it's an act. I wonder why I can see so clearly through the Queen.

"Can I leave?" Vera asked, crossing her arms over her chest. The Queen looked aggravated but waved her away, Vera smiled happily and skipped out, literally. I almost chuckled.

Pam let out an unneeded breath and then began to explain what happened to the Queen, "I was driving back here when something landed on the hood of my car. I didn't know what it was, but it had launched itself at the car, I had to make sure that Miss Stackhouse wasn't harmed but what ever it was, so I sped up, luckily the gates were open and I could skid through."

"Ah, well then. Please feel free to leave. But the telepath stays here." Pam nodded, bowed and was dismissed. I, however, was not allowed to leave; I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow at the Queen.

"Sookie, May I call you that?" she asked with a sugar sweet voice. It made me inwardly cringe.

"Of course." I answered shortly.

"Good, now I would just love to have some time to get to know you." Eric straightened in his chair, "some alone time. You seem to be quite…bold, different, I like it." The smile on her face gave me that bad kind of chills; I tried my best to appear indifferent.

"As flattered as I am, I have to decline. I am here on business only and have no intention or desire to veer from the path. Unneeded distractions will only lengthen the time I spend locating your telepath. If you don't mind I'd love to go to the kitchen and get dinner, I'm famished." I half lied, I sure was hungry. But I had plans to veer straight off that path and into Eric. Those reasons were half related to the case, and half a personal thing.

I wasn't sure who looked more surprised, Eric, the Queen or the guards. I settled on the Queen being the most, then Eric and then the guards, whose shock bordered on amusement, which they fought to keep from their faces but there brains showed the humor they found in my words.

"Of course, you may go." I smiled, turned and walked out of the room. Outside Pam waited for me, a grin on her face; she looped her arm through mine.

"Sookie, boy have you grown some balls." She laughed gleefully, I have never seen her so animated.

"Gee, thanks Pam." I rolled my eyes as we walked toward the kitchen. I guess I have changed since the last time I'd seen Pam. Aside from the fairy things, I'd come to terms with the fact I'd never have a normal life, and that I would always have some problem popping up in my life.

The kitchen was crazy, people running around, bumping into one another, yelling at one another and snatching for food. Pam and I decided to linger outside until they had somewhat cleared out.

Once they had I went in and made myself a nice dinner before we returned to her room to find Vera leaning against the wall, "I need to talk to you." She gave Pam a weird look, glanced at me and then turned back to Pam.

"Stay here." Pam opened her door and let me in before shutting it, I heard the lock click. Fan. Tas. Tic. I felt like a caged pet. With a saddened sigh I went to the small table and chair by the bed and ate my dinner.

I ended up spacing out after I was finished, and pulled myself back into the present when I heard the lock slide in the door, before the door knob even turned I knew it was Pam, I bit my lip and made sure my hair covered my ears, just as it opened.

When the door pushed open all the way Eric stepped in, I watched him silently as he shut it and turned around. His blue eyes burned with so many emotions it was hard to pick one. His mouth was turned down into a frown and his hands clasped into fists.

"I'm sorry." Two simple words, he waited for me to say something, but I never did. I just continued my staring, "You're still mad." His mouth pulls into a straight line. I blink once; he lets out an unneeded breath.

He continues to stare at me, and I bite the inside of my cheek, "Alright." He turns, "I didn't tell her about you. I just wanted you to know that. I would never put you in danger, Sookie." He unlocks the door and leaves, when the door closes I let out a breath of my own.

Stupid, stupid vampire.

I chew on my lip, tapping my foot watching the door, waiting for Pam to come back in. After half an hour I crawled into the bed and closed my eyes, sleep pulling me under quickly.

"Sookie?" Pam hissed in my ear, I jumped my eyes snapping open. After a few blinks I found staring into Pam's blue eyes, "are you okay?"

"Yeah." I rubbed my eyes and sat up, blinking to clear my vision, "What time is it?"

"9:30." She sits back and crosses her legs, "here's the directions to their churches. Sookie, I do hope you don't intend to go into one of these places. You'll be killed."

"I'll be fine Pam. If I'm going to die I'm going to die. Not going wont change that will it?" she watches me with steady unblinking eyes, "what?"

"You're not the same Sookie from a year ago." I close my eyes, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

"So you keep pointing out." I reply, taking the map and glancing at it, "what are we going to do for the next few hours?" I say this mostly to myself, but Pam is suddenly off of the bed and pulling me out the door.

"Where are we going?" she doesn't answer as she drags me to the human quarters and pounds on Vera's door, when she opens the door Pam pulls her out and closes the door, dragging up both down to the parking garage.

"Pam! Where are you taking us?" Vera demanded, as Pam pushed us into the back seat, she wouldn't answer. She pulled out and went down the road, the opposite direction of her store.

I glanced at Vera nervously, she returned my glance and then looked at Pam in the rearview mirror, "Where. Are. We. Going." She demanded, Pam rolled her eyes and sped up, the car practically soaring over the roads.

"Pam! Slow the hell down!" I screamed, slowed down and rolled her eyes once more, "where are we going?"

"Well, for starters away from the guards tailing us. Put your seat belt on Sookie. You too Vera." We did as the said and she sped up once more, I closed my eyes and pretended I was anywhere but in that car.

I was in a nice, warm, safe, house. Sitting in front of a fire place reading a book, lying in the sun, waiting tables, anywhere but in the car swerving on the road. I couldn't keep my mind off of the speed car, I peeled my eyes open just in time for Pam to jerk the wheel left, cut off 6 cars and almost flip the car.

When I turned around the guards were nowhere to be seen, Pam slowed down and parked the car, "come on." She pushed the door open and stepped out, Vera followed her and I slowly trailed behind them both.

There were lights everywhere, I could hardly tell it was night time except for the dark sky and moon. Shops as far as the eye could see, movie theaters restaurants and arcades, "I decided this would be a good place to discus things, I mean to anyone looking we're just out for a night of fun. When the guards catch up that's what they'll assume."

"Good plan Blondie." Vera teased, "Let's go in here." She grabbed my arm and yanked me into a comic book store, Pam followed us in.

"So what are we really doing here?" I asked, feeling totally left out of whatever the other two girls were up to.

"We're discussing some private matters. About the…case we were hired to solve. Pam, scram." Vera demanded, the vampire disappeared, "I know you're going to want to go to one of those churches, the hunters are always out here surveying everyone. Once we leave this area they'll spot us and know we're not with Pam, that way we wont be killed right off the bat."

Vera squats down to the bottom shelf to find some comic, I follow in suit so I can hear her talk, "The Queen is up to something. I don't think that Linda was really what the Queen has told everyone. There is no way those vampires would be able to stand her, maybe she was a little bit, but not full blown. The queen would have killed her."

Vera stops, picks up a comic book and smiles, she grabs two more and drags me over to the counter, pays for the books and then pulls me out of the store, "so where to next Sookie?"

I look around at all the bright lights, the stores and everything. I spotted a few book stores, a lot of clothing stores and an arcade just in the area we were, "Let's just walk until we find somewhere to go in." I reply.

We walk down the sidewalk, slowly, gazing in every store front window, "so like I said, something is going on and I'm itching to find out what it is. That woman is planning _something_."

"She has to be, that girl was _alone_ in the kitchen. Have you seen the kitchen in the mornings? It's always swarmed!" I paused and sigh, shaking my head, "Have you found anything out?"

"No, but I'm going to. Would you like to help me after we visit the church?" I nod, and we continue down the streets, dropping into a book store that was run by a man and his wife, who I later found out were part of the fellowship of the sun, they came over and started chatting us up.

Vera and I played along, and though upon first glance at Vera, they turned there attention directly to me, they soon opened up to invite Vera, who they were picturing as a poor girl who had been neglected in her childhood.

The next morning we took a car from the mansion to a hotel, called for a taxi and got a ride over to the church. Vera was in nicer clothes today, a blue dress with a flower pattern and stockings that covered the tattoos. She took out all of her earrings and her other piercing's, she also tied her hair up into a neat pony tail.

I wanted to ask how old she was, because she looked so young, but I knew that it was not the time to be asking, seeing as we were pulling up outside the church, I paid and then slid out of the taxi behind Vera, looking around widely for the two who had invited us.

Vera spotted them first; she grabbed my arm and dragged me over to them, "Hello! Glad you could make it!" Mark, the husband, said enthusiastically.

"We're glad we could too!" Vera replied, returning the wife, Lisa's, smile. I smiled back at them, and then they led us inside, sitting in the 3rd pew from the front. It didn't take long for the church to fill up and the reverend began to talk. I ignored him for the most part, he was preaching about vampires and their sins, it held none of my interest.

Instead I let my shield down and dug through the brains of some of the humans assembled, the ones that looked the most involved. Nobody was thinking about her, and nobody even had any thoughts about her.

They seemed to be more into talking about vampire sins and rallying then kidnapping, sacrifice and murder. It was oddly comforting and I felt myself relax into the pew, most of the minds around me were thinking about what they were doing later, picnic, bar-b-q and other calm, normal things.

After it was over Vera and I got another taxi and then went to our car, "okay, something is going on. They don't have anything to do with her disappearance. So, next choice, someone in the house did it?"

"I think so." Vera nodded, "the question is, who?"

And just like that, I knew.


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

**If I did not reply to your review and you had a question, that is still not answered in this chapter, please send me a PM because fanfiction seems to pretend that I don't actually have the reviews and won't let me reply to all of them. (Or any of them really.) Our love hate relationship is teetering on the edge of abhorring each other.**

**One last thing, if I do not update between now and the 8****th**** of June it's because I'm taking exams and being flustered and crazy, but I promise after the 8****th**** I will update, cause it will be summer vacation! Hell yeah!**

**Not beta'd sorry. My beta is busy with classes and the hockey game. -_- **

**ENJOY. **

I knew in the pit of my stomach who had made the woman disappear, I kept my mouth shut until Vera and I were safely inside Pam's room, "I know who it was." But I couldn't say the name out loud, what if the room were bugged? I searched all around for a piece of paper and scribbled down the name.

Eric.

Vera took the pencil and scribbled the word why, I answered out loud, "I don't know, but I know it was." I just had to figure out how to get the knowledge out of him, unfortunately we were due to meet the queen in half an hour, and I was dressed in the white flowered dress I had worn to the church.

It was either change or get dinner, and I wanted dinner, so we headed to the kitchen and made sandwiches, finishing them just before the guards came to take us into the throne room, Eric was once again perched in his chair.

Was the Queen perhaps making him be in attendance to torture him? Or did he want to be here?

"Sookie have you found anything?" the queen asked, a pleasant ring to her voice.

"No ma'am. The church we visited today showed hints that maybe someone was up to something. I'll dig deeper tomorrow and let you know." I lied.

"I am leaving tonight so you will have to share your information with my husband." She put extra emphasis on the word. I tried to hold back the slightest hint of jealously that wanted to lash out.

"Of course. Is there anything else?" she shook her head and departed before we had the chance. Vera and I followed her, Vera heading off the opposite direction of me, I was going to the library, which was thankfully empty.

I climbed my way upstairs and found the book I had really spotted earlier, it was written in English and had one simple word on the binding, Faery. I levitated up to grab it before returning to the ground and perching in the chair.

Much like the book Vera had found it had an account of many Fae, including Niall, Dermot, Claude, Claudine and Claudette, and others. I scanned the first few pages absently, until I got to my name and stopped.

Sookie Stackhouse- human/fae Followed by Hunter- human/fae. And Hadley and Remy were listed beside his name. beside Hadley's name was the word 'second death' and a page number. Remy's simply said human.

My name was alone, but had page number, I flipped through the book and it led me to a tree-type thing, it connected me to the Fae, and off to the left, next to Claudine's name was the name "Linda". No last name, it said 'Fae' beside it.

The bottom of the page had yet another page listed beside my name, and I flipped to it, it had a list of telepaths, Linda, Barry, Hunter and I were on the list. As well as many other names that I couldn't pronounce.

I heard the door open downstairs and nearly jumped out of my chair, looking down I spotted Eric, standing on the floor below looking up at me. He floated up so he was at eye level with me, "I thought I might find you here. You were lying to her, why?"

"Why I did isn't really your concern…or is it? Was she yours too?" I asked; a hint of jealously biting at my words.

"No, she was not mine. But until she is returned I will have to deal with the woman's crazy antics to get her back. It is problematic for me." He went over my head and landed by the chair, "how did you get this from way up there?"

"It was already down." I lied, he raised an eyebrow, picked up the book and returned it to its place on the shelf, damn it. He floated over to stand by me, our chests inches apart.

"I really didn't want you here, there is much danger." He said suddenly, "just stop looking for her; it will be safer for you."

"Like hell, if I stop she'll kill me." I snapped, "so tell me here and now, did you have anything that to do with her disappearance?" He didn't speak; he just looked down at me, his eyes searching mine for something.

I reached up and brushed my fingers through the hair hanging on his face, tucking a lock behind his ear, "Fine then." I whispered, "I guess I'll figure it out myself." I stepped away from him and headed down the stairs, slowly with extra sway in my hips.

"Sookie, I'm asking you kindly, please stop looking."

I turned to look at him over my shoulder, "Sorry Eric, you lost your privilege to ask me to do anything of the sort." And then I continued my way down the stairs, and off toward my room.

I dug through my suitcases and pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt, I pulled my hair up into a high pony tail. I had spotted a gym on the first tour, and I felt like going for a run. When I finally made it to the gym, after about four wrong turns, I found Pam inside jogging, along with a guard I recognized as the one that I been following Pam around since we had arrived.

"Good evening." I greeted both of them with a smile, turning on one of the treadmills and stepping on. I started out slow, and then increased the pace, slowly. After awhile Pam disappeared, the Were looked troubled, not knowing whether he should stay or follow me.

"You seem troubled." I commented, moving from the treadmill to the stair stepper, he eyed me and then started jogging faster, I rolled my eyes, sighing and letting my shield down a little bit. His brain was fuzzy, angry or more frustrated if I truly thought about it. He would rather be anywhere but watching us.

"What's you name?" I broke the silence and pushed my shields firmly into place.

"Charles." He answered, slowing to turn and look at me, "and yours?"

"Sookie." I answered with a smile, "how long have you been working here?"

"About a year." He answered, and then his back stiffened. The door opened, Vera stepped in and then I heard the explosion. Charles jumped my way, taking me down under him as I heard Vera let out a shriek.

The building collapsed around us, I heard screams, crashes and sparks. My arm and legs throbbed, I knew I was probably bleeding, and that my legs had slammed into the stair stepper.

When the chaos died down I felt Charles lift off of me, helping me sit up, I saw Vera on the other side of the room, Pam was leaning over her, tapping on her face and shaking her shoulders.

"Eric, what happened?" she snapped her head around; Eric was standing behind her, scratched up and burned. I looked over at Charles; he was covered in dust and had a few cuts on him, but otherwise was unharmed.

I ventured a look down at my legs, I had bleeding scratches on my left knee and a huge bruise already forming on my thigh, aside from those and then dust I was unharmed. I pushed myself to my feet, wobbled a bit and walked to Vera's side.

"Where are we staying?" I asked the room aloud, looking at Vera, I could heal the wound on her head, but not in front of them.

"I will set up rooms at the hotel. Pam, take her down to the car and head over with Sookie. The rooms will be under your name." Pam nods, scooping the witch from the ground.

"Thank you Charles." I tell him, looking at the now destroyed stair stepper, "I don't think I would have survived that."

Then I followed Pam out to the car, she drove and I sat in the back, making sure Vera continued to breath. She did, even if it was just barely. She wasn't waking up and her mind was pretty blank.

I chewed on my lip, glancing out the window, I could see bright lights in the distance, and I hoped that was the hotel. It wasn't the hotel was another 10 minutes away and when we finally got Vera up into the hotel room I made Pam leave and returned to Vera's side.

I rested one hand on her forehead and the other on her stomach, my hands glowed faintly, I let my shields drop down and the glowing grew brighter, transferring from my hands to Vera's body.

It wasn't until after the glow wore off 10 minutes later that Vera's eyes blinked open, "good, you've finally woke up." I smiled and sat back in the chair I had planted myself in after I had healed her, "Pam!"

The vampiress was in the room in the fraction of a heartbeat, "Vera, you're awake." She gave her a side glance and then turned to me, "good job, I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

"No, you can use my room Pam. I'll sleep on the pullout; after all it'd be safer to have you tucked into a room." Vera says.

"You're hurt." I point out, "and she's right Pam. I'll take the couch." Before they can argue I walk out of the room, toss the cushions off of the couch and pull the bed out, using the sheets someone had dropped off I make the bed and crawl in, shutting my eyes to 'go to sleep'.

Pam called out that she had to go get dinner and when the door clicked shut I sat up in my bed for the night, turned on the TV and tried to let my mind be swept away. Not that it worked.

My mind spun in circles, trying to analyze everything that had happened since I'd arrived in Okalahoma. Piecing things together and trying to figure out what was going on. Of course I got nowhere because my cell phone rang and jarred me out of my thoughts.

I picked it up without looking at the caller ID, "Hey Claude."

"Cousin, how are you?" I knew he probably didn't care, so I didn't answer, "Genie and Max want to talk to you."

"Well then, put them on the phone." I grin.

"Hi aunt Sookie!" Genie says, Max says hi from behind her.

"Hey sweetheart! How are you?" she launches into a story about her day and the party she and Max went to and how Claude and Dermot almost burnt last night's dinner. I smile at the thought of the two cooking, they never really cooked around my house it was usually me or one of the kids.

She asked what I was doing and I told her about the vampires I'd met and the amazing house we'd stayed in, glancing at the clock I told her she needed to hand the phone back to Claude and get ready for bed.

"Okay, gnite aunt Sookie!" she said, I heard Max once again in the background say goodnight and then Claude took the phone.

"Do you know another fairy named Linda?"

"Yes."

"Did she look like me?"

"She resembled you."

"Who is she?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"She's missing." Claude doesn't say anything for a long time.

"She's family, but only part fae, and was gifted by telepathy from a demon. If she is missing that is unfortunate. The world would be better off with out her. She only resembles you. I need to go." He hung up the phone and I let mine fall to my lap.

Claude had been living with me for 6 months now, I had let him back in because of his kids. He didn't want them living so close to where he worked, because of the people that hunted their kind he wanted them to be safe, and far away.

I had agreed as long as he promised to keep out of my love life and keep his opinions to himself unless otherwise directed. It wasn't that hard for him to agree to, and he was willing to do anything not to have them close to the bar.

He had never told me who the mother was, or even told me how they came to be. I mean, just thinking about Claude being with a woman was something to laugh at; he wouldn't touch a woman with a 20 foot pole, so how had this happened?

He would never open though, claiming that I shouldn't be concerned with his love life, I couldn't really argue with that so I let it go. For now. One day I would find out, and probably wouldn't find it as amusing as I did now.

I stretched out across the bed, closed my eyes and snuggled down into the sheets. But I couldn't fall asleep. Something was messing with my head. I sat up and looked around. It felt like a vampire was trying to glamour me.

Or talk to me.

I slipped out of the bed, shut the TV off and crept out into the hallway, Eric was lingering in the hallway outside his door, and he locked eyes with me when I stepped out. I met his gaze and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Could you hear me?" he asked, surprise in his voice.

"No. I could feel you, poking around in my brain. What do you want?" I leaned against the rail, glancing down at the lit up pebble filled garden below.

"I need you to understand something Sookie, finding Linda is going to be nearly impossible, and if you don't stop looking for her you could get hurt. You're not supposed to be here. She called you here to protect her own ass. She knows she's in danger and knows that if it's me putting her in danger, that I won't harm her while you're here."

"Is it you?" he steps up so he's right in front of me, his eyes boring into mine, "Well Eric?"

"Sookie!" Vera screamed from inside, the door jerked open and she breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought something had happened to you. Oh, sorry was interrupting?" she didn't look or sound sorry.

"No, I was just telling Sookie she should get back inside."

"Sure you were." She rolls her eyes, "hey did you get me that book?"

"It's on the table, you two should head inside." Eric takes a step back, and I walk into the apartment behind Vera, locking the door, I hoped Pam would return and slide the chain into place when she did.

Vera grabbed the old book she had earlier and plopped down in the chair beside my bed. I crawled into the bed and watched Vera's eyes scan over the pages, flashing black every so often.

"Vera, what exactly is that book? It's not going to be some evil thing like in that Scooby Doo movie is it?" she looked up and smiled.

"No, it's nothing like that. I'm not an evil witch, though I do not practice "white magic". I practice black magic and white magic, grey if you prefer." She laughs at her own joke, "anyways, you don't have to worry, I wont unleash and evil beast."

"Alright." I mumble, "so what else is in that book?"

"Just family tree, heritage and such. It's what the vampires know about us. Everything."

"Who does the books?"

"I don't know. Some old guy with no family and no ties to anyone. He can't be swayed to keep anything out. He's completely set in his ways." She replied, waving her hand dismissively in the air.

"Why is each in a different language?"

"Because one of his ways was not to write for the enemy, why write a book about the Serbian witches so that the American witches can hunt us down, or read about our ways." She says, "So, did you find the book on fairies?"

"Yes." I answered; disappointed it was going to be lost to me again.

"Good, now I don't have to surprise you." The book was suddenly sitting in my lap, "Eric snatched it for me. I figured you find it interesting." She closed the book and set it down on the side table, "I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight Sookie."

"Night." I replied, already flipping the book open, looking for the page on Linda. From there I found a connection to Niall and then a connection to a demon named Dion. A small paragraph was asterisked and at the bottom explained that nothing could be found about the demon except that the demon gifted Linda with the telepathy.

I fingered threw a few more pages and noted with delight nothing but my name was mentioned in the book. I read what little information was supplied about Niall, Claude, Claudine and Claudia. The book showed that all three twins were alive, as well as Hadley.

I closed the book, set it on top of Vera's and looked around. There was a small space behind the bookshelf in the room that I pulled away from the wall and I hid both the books there. I continued to look around, trying to find a better hiding place.

Sleep, however, pulled me under before I could find one.


	6. Chapter 6

_**READ THIS. **_

**Obviously I haven't made it clear: Firstly, Anything Pam hears is rumor. She hasn't seen Eric or been to the mansion since she was given the area in Okalahoma, secondly; keep in mind Eric said he doesn't take pets. **_**He **_**is how ever a **_**vampire **_**and not bonded to Sookie. Thirdly, the answer to who told the Queen about Sookie's telepathy will be revealed. Soon. Fourthly, yes Linda is a Sook-a-like, (also I know Linda was another family members name…) but Linda and Eric's only connection is the Queen. LINDA IS NOT ERIC'S. I sincerely hope you will see by the end of this Eric is not a douche bag like he seems. (Well, as much of one. Still a secretive high handed jerk of course.)**

**-end explanation- **

**And with that I encourage you to continue on with chapter 6.**

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

**Should be the last update until the 8****th****, or maybe one more next weekend.**

The dream was strange; I was in a room made of marble with a single throne chair in the center. Eric stood beside it, a smirk on his face. His eyes were gazing behind where I stood, but I didn't turn around to look.

A cool arm brushed against mine and I saw the Queen step up to the throne and sit, the smile was still on Eric's face, and Vera and Pam appeared at his side, I saw something glinting in Eric's hand. Vera's eyes were black, her hair starting to turn as well.

Suddenly the Queen shrieked in pain and Eric plunged a silver stake into her heart. She screamed louder and exploded.

I jerked up, panting and looking at the clock, it was two am. I jumped from the bed and ran to the door, storming down the hallway to the two guards, "Move." I growled. They looked at me, giving me a warning the look, I grabbed one of their arms and shoved him into the other, proceeding to pound on Eric's door.

It opened to a bloody mouthed Eric, his dinner sat on the couch, "out." I growled at her, she jumped up and scurried out of the room while Eric cleaned his mouth, "tell me what is going on _now._"

"You lost your right to know." He threw over his shoulder at me.

"Eric Northman don't you dare treat me like that, you keep telling me to go home for my own good I should at least get to know why! I'm not one of your fang bangers! I wont do whatever you tell me to! Tell me what is going on, _now!"_

He looked surprised at my out burst and shook his head, "Sookie, it is a wonder you have no been killed yet."

"Yeah, I know." I grumbled, "Now tell me what's going on." I spun on my heel so I could watch him as he went into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"What do you thinks going on?"

"None of your bullshit Eric, tell me now." I growled, "I am sick of being in the dark when it comes to these things. I got called to help find a fellow fairy who I found out fucking looks just like me, and now you tell me to stop looking for her? What did you do take her yourself so you can have a fuck buddy?" I screamed, "I don't even know why the hell I offered to come!"

He looked alarmed, and then angry, he was pinning me against the wall in seconds, "I did not take her, nor to I want her for a 'fuck buddy' the only one of those I want is my stubborn, hardheaded, telepathic, ex-bonded. Don't come here and assume I took her because she looks like you. I don't love you or want you for your looks, I may have in the beginning five seconds I laid my eyes on you but it was you, everything about you, which drew me in."

I stood there speechless, my mouth hanging slack; I blinked my eyes, "then tell me what's going Eric."

"Something you don't need to be involved in. I just want you to go home, where your safe." He replied, his voice softer.

"I don't want to go home. I'm tired of home." I replied, and then I thought about what I had said, I really didn't want to go home, I really was. That's why I was putting up with his shit.

"Sookie, it would be safer."

"I don't care Eric." I murmured, and then surprised myself by leaning up and kissing him. Sparks shot through my body, from my lips down to my toes and back up. I threw my arms around his neck and he picked me up, deepening the kiss.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and he pushed me against the wall, and broke the kiss, "Sookie…I've missed you." And then he crashed his lips back to mine, my hands tangled in his hair and he pulled us away from the wall, dumping me down on the couch, surprise over took me and my shields dropped.

Eric faltered and I jumped to my feet, backing toward the door, the moment lost, "I'm going back to my room. Tomorrow night you will tell me what I want to know." I jerked the door open and ran down to my room before he could catch up.

Pam raised an eyebrow at me when she bumped into me outside the door, "I don't wanna talk about it." I muttered, pushing the door open and crawling back into the bed, I buried my head in the pillow and willed myself to sleep again, and eventually, after the sun came up, I fell asleep.

"Sookie, Sookie." A deep, definitely male voice, called. I peeked my head out from under the covers and met Eric's eyes, "Good morning sleeping beauty. We need to have a drive. Get dressed."

I tumbled out of my bed and went to get my suitcase from Pam's now empty room. I grabbed a dress from the suitcase, went in the bathroom, threw it on and tugged a brush through my hair. I brushed my teeth and met Eric in the living room, "where are we going?"

"For a drive." He replied simply, spinning and walking out of the room. I slid on some shoes, grabbed my phone and followed him out the door and down to his corvette, "So, how long ago did you start becoming more like your cousin."

"A few months after you left." I replied, glancing out the window, "did you take her?"

"No." he answers, "do you have any other abilities?"

"Yes. Did you have someone take her?"

"Yes."

"Why?" I cut in before he could ask me a question. He turned a corner and pulled to a stop, turning on his hazards.

"She needs to die. Please, for your own safety, get on that plane waiting for you there." He nodded forward.

"No. I won't get on that plane and go home." I growled, "I haven't found her, so if I go home will not that arise suspicion?" I ask, knowing that he would see my way and I would get to stay.

"Alright, but you need to promise that you will stay out of harms way when I tell you to get out, you go." I nod, "good. And now that we understand each other, would you like to do something tonight?"

"Like what? I'm supposed to be looking for Linda, won't the Queen find out if I don't?"

"I went with you to help look, of course." He smiled, I narrowed my eyes him, "Look we need to have a long conversation. And I don't exactly have anywhere we can do that at the moment, so would you like to go back to the hotel, attempt a lame search or go somewhere else?"

"Are Vera and Pam doing anything?"

"I assume they are, but we can't discuss what they're doing. So, I'll ask again, back to the hotel, lame search, or somewhere else?"

I sighed, closed my eyes and sank down into the seat, "I don't care Eric, and you will probably talk me into doing something else anyways. So do what you have in mind?"

He smiles at me, and speeds up a little more, "Well, they have a fair going on downtown, perhaps they could be there?" he asks.

"Whose really going to be there?" I throw back.

"A few visiting royals and sheriffs and Pam and Vera. I have to go."

"Are you bringing me because you want them to think I'm Linda?" I ask.

"No. I'm inviting you because I want to invite you. Do you always need to question my motives?"

"Do you seriously have to ask me that?" I asked, turning my head to face him, "seriously?"

"Okay, fair enough. But I wouldn't do that, they all know I don't feed off of Linda, she is the Queen's not mine. I never wanted a thing to do with her. I didn't even know about her until two months after Pam left. She likes to mess with me, because she has power over me."

"How?"

"Because if I do anything against the marriage she can get me sent to the magister." He answered, "I was technically 'hers' and vampire marriages are different in several ways from your human ways."

"Like how?"

"I cannot go into it now, besides I want to enjoy myself. Come on." I hadn't even noticed that we pulled into a parking lot. Eric was at my side of the car and opening the door for me, I stepped out of the car and he offered me his hand, I rolled my eyes and walked on past him.

He was quick to fall into step beside me, pausing only to show something to the gate manager before we strolled through the gates. People were all around me, kids shrieking with laughter and parents following them, happy couples, all around, and vampires.

A few stopped to say hello and bow to Eric, others stared from a far, mostly at me. The only other people that came up to us were a few kids wanting to see Eric's fangs. We went on a few rides, played a couple of games and I got dinner, which was a delicious corn dog.

We were in line for a ride when Eric's phone rang. He picked up, talked fast and then hung up, "Sookie, we need to go find Pam or Vera, the Queen is returning." I sigh and let him pull me out of line to drag me across the fair and over to a small shop called Nada's.

He pulled me inside cast his eyes around and frowned, "what are you doing in here vampire?" a new voice called out, Eric smiled, his head tilting to the side.

"Good evening, is your sister around?" Eric inquired politely, "I need to find her or Pam."

"Neither is here at the moment, but they'll be back. What do you want?"

"The Queen has arrived early and I must be at the hotel to greet her, though I wouldn't want to ruin Sookie's night by bringing her back so early." He lied, I knew it, the girl hiding in the shadows probably knew it, and Eric knew it.

"She is human?"

"Yes." I answer before Eric, mostly because hello, standing right _here!_ I mean she couldn't just ask me?

"Alright, goodbye Eric."

"Thank you." He replied, still smiling as he bent down to my ear, "I'm sorry about this, but it must look as if you three were out searching and not just having a good time. I'll see you later. And maybe Vera could fill you in on what's really going on."

After Eric left the woman stepped from the shadows, glaring at his back, "Hi." I said awkwardly smiling at the woman. She had curly brown hair, dark brown eyes, and very pale skin.

She looked much taller then her sister and she were definitely much less tattooed. But her eyes were the same, hazel, though hers favored more on the brown side where as Vera's favored green.

"Hello." She replied, a smile finally stretching across her face, "I'm Alexsandra." She extended her hand for me to shake and I took it, shaking briefly and introducing myself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Stackhouse. If you would like you can have a seat on that couch over there, Vera and Pam should return soon."

"Thanks." I said, crossing the small shop and sitting down on the soft, but antique looking couch. I gazed around the shop, the walls were lined with spices and herbs and other weird things. Maybe this was a magic shop.

A few customers came in and out in the next 30 minutes, most of them confirming my belief that it was a magic shop, but Vera and Pam didn't show up until it was close to 10, an hour and a half after Eric left.

Alexsandra and I were sitting playing a game of cards when Vera came in and touched her sister's shoulder. Alexsandra jumped, and I jumped because she jumped, "Sookie, what are you doing here?" Pam asked.

"Eric had to leave me here, the Queen returned." I answered, scooping up the cards I had dropped and handing them to Alexsandra.

"He could have told us." Vera muttered, I shrugged. I didn't mind being stuck here, Alexsandra was rather nice and very fun to talk to, and around her I could let my shield down, her brain was as blocked as a vampire's.

"Well, we were going to leave before checking in here, I guess it's a good thing we didn't." Pam said, "Are you ready to leave?"

"I guess." I mumbled, not really wanting to leave the shop, it was very peaceful. But I got up anyways and followed Pam and Vera to the car after exchanging goodbyes with Alexsandra, which thankfully had a backseat, I wonder if Eric had even thought about that?

I assumed we were going to go back to the hotel, but Pam drove right passed it, not even slowing down, "Pam, where are we going?"

"You'll see." Was all she said, I didn't ask anything else, because I was getting more tired by the second. I was almost asleep when I felt the car stop, my eyes slowly opened and I looked out the window to see a small little house with a cute white picket fence and a red door.

"Where are we?" I asked, looking between the two.

"My house." Pam replied, "hurry up."

I scrambled out of the backseat and followed them up to the red door, which Pam opened without using a lock, "It's got a spell on it so only Pam or people that have Pam's permission to enter can get in." Vera explained as I followed her through the door. I could faintly feel the magical barrier.

"Why are we here?" I felt like I was playing twenty questions tonight, between Eric and Pam and Vera I wondered if maybe I could get some straight answers. It turned out I could.

"We're here because the Queen can't bug Pam's house." I spun to find Eric standing by a door I had completely missed, "I was wondering if you three would ever make it back."

He crossed from that door to another door and strode in, Pam and Vera followed him so I followed them. _And now I will get to hear the story, _ I thought. I saw papers and contracts strewn everywhere as well as three Weres and a blonde who looked very much like me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

**Since I've completed four out of my seven exams and got 3 B's and an A I decided to edit this and upload it before I jumped in the pool. Enjoy, review/PM if you have any questions and I'll reply ASAP. :D**

We sat in dead silence, I had taken a seat in a chair near the door, standing in the corner directly across from me was Charles, and next to him was another guard I didn't know the name of, but recognized. Off behind me was the third Were and sitting on the couch beside Pam was Vera, Eric was somewhere behind me as well. But I was staring ahead of me at Linda.

I thought I was looking into a mirror; she looked almost identical to me. The only difference was our eyes. It made me wonder if maybe Eric was lying. He said he hadn't told the Queen about me and my telepathy, so that would mean he wouldn't know that I'd be the one searching for his new stolen toy? What would keep him from stealing her from the queen? Did he change his story because I was searching?

I stared at her, puzzled; her mind was an open book. She didn't seem to care if I could hear the thoughts swimming around her head. She hardly thought about anything anyways, the stray thought about how good Eric looked in blue to the even more obnoxious thought when she wondered how big Eric's package was.

But even though she was thinking about him, she was looking right at me, her own mind probing mine, trying to get in. Not that she would, my mind was completely sealed off to her, or anybody that I didn't want in.

_I wonder if he bangs her. _The thought caught me off guard; it was louder than the rest of her thought. I didn't know who 'her' or 'he' was. My guess would be Eric. As for 'her', I mean, she knows Eric sleeps with the Queen, so it wouldn't be that, and her eyes never left me.

I bit back a sigh, why had I kissed him anyways? What the hell was I thinking? He had just finished eating. _And he was probably going to sleep with her._ My brain added in helpfully.

I wanted to drop my head into my hands, but I wouldn't look away from the other telepath, the look of frustration never crossed her eyes, but I could feel it in her mind. Did she actually not notice I was poking around in her head?

_I wonder if this staring contest might end anytime soon. _Vera's thoughts drifted into my mind from Linda's head, both of us turned to her at the same time, the same speed.

"That's creepy." She muttered glancing between the two of us before turning and staring over my shoulder where I knew Eric was now hovering, I had to agree it was creepy, "Are we going to sit here and watch these two all night or get down to business?"

"Right." He said, stepping into my line of vision, "the plan was simple, we would 'find' Linda and she would be distracted and not be aware of the doors locking all of us in her room and the explosion on the north corridor removing the guards except for these three. But now we have two problems."

"Sookie." Vera said, "But how is she a problem Eric?"

"Because the Queen suspected something, or she wouldn't have called her in. She somehow found out about Sookie's abilities, and decided that would protect her from me. Since Sookie was part of the search we would need to get her out of the room, somehow."

"She could pretend she's ill." Charles volunteered, "The second problem is that it's not a hotel room, instead of the palace, so how exactly are we going to get rid of her guards?" No one apart from Vera, Eric and Charles seemed to have anything to say. None of them even looked like they were coming up with a solution, they were still casting glances between Vera and I.

"Well, if there was an explosion at the hotel it would still force the guards to leave." Vera said, "And since these two look alike, maybe I could do something about the eye color, she wouldn't be able to use Sookie as protection, because she wouldn't know who she was."

"You wouldn't know the difference either." Charles argued, "We need Sookie out of the room and the guards gone."

"I'm not helpless you know." I pointed out, all eyes turned to me, "I can protect myself, and I sure as hell won't get in the way of any of your issues, so just factor me out. Your only problem seems to be the hotel."

"Sookie is right; she can take care of herself." Pam added, smiling at me, "We'll figure something out, for now you need to hold up your end of the deal."

Eric narrowed his eyes at Pam before gesturing for me to follow him, I got out of my chair and followed him downstairs to what I assumed was Pam's day chambers, "alright, I'm going to explain what's going on, and please just let me explain before you question anything."

I made a 'go ahead' gesture and sat down in a chair beside Pam's bed, "Alright. You know I had no choice in marrying the Queen; I tried everything I could think of to get out of this. But there was no way. So I did everything that bitch wanted me to, because she held my life over my head, and threatened yours. I never wanted to leave you. The offer I made was stupid and greedy of me; I had simply wanted to keep you all mine."

He paused, "I'm sorry if I made you feel any less important to me. I in no way see you parallel to fang bangers. You know that, right?" I nod and he falls silent for a moment, "I had no clue the queen knew you were a telepath, I still don't know how she found out. She had killed Vera's parents, and the rest of her family, so I had set up with the witch to help recreate for someone else, maybe Pam.

What I didn't expect was for her to bring in you. After I had Linda kidnapped, something which Linda knew about, I had told her Pam knew of a witch good at hunting down missing people. Then she shocked me by asking about you, and the contract we used to have. She sent Pam to go get you before she actually asked me about it, it took us months to work out the plan.

With Pam stuck in her area and I having no way to get knowledge to her I would go through Vera and she would relay the plan to Pam, she was busy looking for a place to stash Linda, in case the Queen had wanted to search herself. I guess they hadn't bonded like I'd expected so the kidnapping her was easier. Is there anything else I didn't cover?"

"What does her death mean for you?" I asked immediately

"It means that I will inherit the state, provided I am not the guilty party." He answered, sitting down in a chair across from me.

"Then who is going to kill her?" he shrugged, and explained that if he knew about it that he wouldn't be able to say he didn't know that whoever it was, was going to kill her. I sat silently retreating into my mind, trying to think of anything else I wanted to ask.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked suddenly.

"I don't know. I just…wanted to." I replied, "Were you going to sleep with her?"

"No." he answered.

"How many have you slept with?"

"The Queen and one other woman a few times, how many others have you..?"

"I haven't. I kind of just shut off, the only guys I had contact with were Claude, Dermot and Sam, and then Claude's kids moved in, so I distracted myself. What is it about you that makes me have diarrhea of the mouth?" I ran it all into one quick abrupt sentence.

Eric smirked, "I don't know, but it's rather funny." I rolled my eyes at him, "what exactly are your abilities?"

"I'd tell you, but I'd rather you come up with your own musings and find out as I use them." I smirked, "I think they've come to a conclusion because my twin is broadcasting upstairs."

I made my way to the staircase and then paused, turning around as Eric walked into me, "you haven't had sex with her have you?"

"Who? Linda? No. I do not want a woman that looks like you if it isn't you. Besides, she's…well you mentioned how Dermot and Jason seemed to be polar opposites? So are Linda and you. And I most definitely prefer you." The way he said the last sentence was a purr that traveled up my spine.

"Right, well, lets go." I jumped away and up the stairs, returning to my earlier spot in the chair, Eric standing behind me, Linda resumed staring me down, and I met her gaze and kept it while the other three resumed arguing about _how _they were going to kill the Queen.

To me, Linda seemed to be a ditz; her brain was nothing different than the fang bangers I'd over heard at Fangtasia. But When Eric said something about the possibility of Linda getting hurt her mind slammed shut, she wanted me out and I didn't care enough to dig my way in.

"Why would I get hurt?" she asked, it occurred to me this was the first time I heard her talk. Her voice was soft and had a melody to it, like bells ringing through the air. She sounded so sweet, and captivating.

"Because if the fighting gets out of hand you will be trapped there, much like Sookie," Charles answered, "but it is highly unlikely you would be hurt, if this worked the way we planned it."

"Fan. Tas. Tic." She replied, a bitter ring to her voice. I vaguely occurred to me that I had thought the same phrase only a few days earlier. Maybe we weren't as different as Eric said.

"Good, then get some rest and tomorrow we will send them out to come find you. For now, let us return to the hotel." One of the Weres goes with Linda to a darkened car and the other goes with Eric, the last goes in a new car and tails them, we follow the second Were.

"I just want to sleep." I groaned, pushing open our hotel door, I stopped dead. The Queen was sitting on the arm of the couch of my bed, "Oh."

"Your Highness." Pam said, bowing.

"What have you two found?" she demanded, "Where is my Linda?"

"I have to do a location spell. I cannot do it at the moment, my strength is greatly diminished. I believe I will find her tomorrow." Vera said angrily and then looked apologetic, "sorry for my attitude. I am very tired." She brushed past me and went into the bedroom, calling goodnight to me.

"Alright. Thank you for your hard work." She walked out the door, slamming into my shoulder before shutting the door.

"Well, someone is sure a cup of sugar." I grumbled, grabbing something to sleep in and locking myself in the bathroom. I turned on the shower, letting it heat up as I shed my dirty clothes and brushed out my hair.

I stepped into the shower and leaned under the water, letting it rain down over my head for a good twenty minutes before I washed it, washed my body and stepped out wrapping in a fluffy towel.

I dried my hair, slipped into the clean clothes and crawled into the bed, pulling the sheet up and closing my eyes. I fell into a somewhat peaceful sleep around 3 o'clock.

Vera calling my name the next morning, "Sookie, we have to get up." She groaned, shoving my arm a few times until I sat up, "come on, you need breakfast and we need to be seen leaving."

After I got dressed we went down stairs and used Pam's car, heading to a tiny café for breakfast, then back to the fair, heading to Nada's. Alexsandra was sitting on the couch reading; she hardly looked up from her book as Vera scanned the shelves. She grabbed some items off of them, dropped a few bills on the counter and pulled me out.

"We need to go somewhere private to pull this off." She said, louder than she needed. We must've been followed. I got into the passenger seat and she drove us around in circles for about two hours, the same red and blue cars followed us.

Finally we stopped and got out, we walked for a mile and then stopped next to a tree, and she laid out a bunch of things and then set to work performing her spell. I didn't know what kind of spell she was performing, but a little grey ball formed in front of her.

"Okay, lets go." She pulled my arm and we followed the ball back to the car, got in and drove after it, the sun was already setting, "this ball should lead us to wherever they're holding Linda." She informed me, turning suddenly with the ball.

It was well past sunrise when the ball finally stopped. The blue and red cars were now gone and it was just Vera and I. None the less we went up to the house, the door imploded thanks to Vera and she stormed in 'taking' Linda from her captors.

With Linda in the backseat Vera tore down the road back to the hotel. Linda was silent behind us, her mind buzzing with idle thoughts. What would she watch later? Would she get a shower? What would she have for dinner?

I was saving up my energy for the worst case scenario, so I didn't bother with my shields, beside me Vera's brain was as vacant as a vampires mind, unlike the duplicate in the backseat, who was back to wondering things about Eric.

I rolled my eyes at her, I knew she had seen it in the vanity mirror, and then I stared out the window as Vera talked to the Queen. I could hear the excited voice through the blue tooth in her ear.

When we finally reached the hotel I had to throw my shields up, Linda put on a fake excited smile, and the second we swung open the Queen's door she flew into her arms, her mind however revealed how much she didn't want to be touched by the woman.

Well to be clear it was, _I fucking hate vampires. Dead stupid things. I want her to get the fuck off of me. _

I almost laughed, but at the same moment there was an explosion, Pam shoved Vera into me and the three of us fell in a pile on the ground while Eric knocked the Queen and Linda aside, then took Charles to the ground with him.

The door slammed shut, and I surveyed the room discretely. The occupants were Eric, Pam, Vera, myself, Linda the Queen, Charles, and two of her unnamed guards, who were already helping her to her feet. I felt two more vampire minds somewhere else in the sweet, and a third Were.

"What is going on? Is someone trying to kill me?" the Queen demanded hotly of Charles.

"I do not know." He answered.

"Go find out!" he scurried off, and I noticed Eric looked angry, that left us with Eric, Linda, Pam Vera, and myself. The Queen had herself, the three mystery vamps and the three guards, we were also down Eric, because he cannot be the one that stakes her. Which left Pam or Vera; I didn't think Linda would do it.

I don't know what actually caused it, but the vampires in the other room came tumbling in scuffling with the vampire, they slammed into Eric and the Queen, both of whom yelled angrily, Eric ripped the head clean off of one of the Weres and that was when I saw Vera making her way to the Queen.

Someone hit her and she went flying through the air, slamming against the wall. She was up in the next second, the air crackled at the angry magic flooding through her, I pushed myself back against the wall and grabbed Linda's arm, jerking her with me.

_What are you doing? _

_Helping you. _I pointed at the dead body now lying where she had been cowering.

"Thanks." And then she jerked her arm from mine and went running to the other side of the room. I didn't know what happened, but I ended up in a fight with one of the Queens guards, and the next second that tingly voice was yelling stake and Vera was rocketed across the room by the Queen.

Only then did her mind open up to me, and the painful haunting memories she had been thinking of slammed into my head, her parents were murdered right in front of her by the Queen, who had tied her up and forced her to watch. It made my stomach turn.

I slammed a lamp into the Weres head, effectively knocking him out, and ran to Vera's side, I laid my hand on her head where she was bleeding, her memories became stronger and my head started to hurt, before I thought about what I was doing the white light glowed around my hand and her head, and her eyes were blinking up at me.

"Sookie!" she screamed, shoving me the glow went away and the vampires froze, all turning at me. I pushed the stake into her hand discreetly as the Queen came toward me, I got to my feet. The lights slammed off then, as a new explosion rocked the room, I tumbled toward the ground.

I took the minor distraction to throw myself across the room; the plan formed in my head, let the Queen get distracted by me and hope Vera could see in the dark, I stood up and met the Queen's gaze in the dark. H

Her fangs were down and her nostrils flared her eyes wide as saucers she stalked toward me like a lioness would a gazelle. I looked at Eric, and then back at the Queen as she grabbed my arms. I couldn't see Vera and I didn't have time to look for her before the Queen buried her fangs in my neck.

I lashed out, kicking at her weakly as a scream ripped from my throat. But then she was gone, and I sunk to the floor holding my neck as a warm gooey substance splattered over me, the lights were still out but I could see Vera kneeling beside me, muttering something.

"Are you okay?" Eric's voice sounded distant and his face swam before my eyes. I blinked a lot, and bit my cheek trying to focus on him. He needed to be one face, not two. And then finally he was, I nodded at him, allowing him to pick me up off the floor, Vera was gone and I noticed Pam opened the door, she was pulling Linda behind her.

"Where is the Queen?" a worried Were asked, "is she hurt?"

"Calvin Neeson killed her, so I killed him." Eric said, "Please excuse me, I need to make sure this woman lives or we will have problems."

When we were safely in Eric's room I let myself relax, "why does she surround herself by Weres?"

"I don't know." He answered, "Maybe because Linda could read them. I really didn't care. Most of them hated her. Charles, she is no more. Calvin Neeson staked her while she was feeding off Sookie."

I saw him glance at me before he nodded and left, Eric set me down on the toilet in his bathroom, he spun the knobs on his shower and then turned to me, "can you stand?" I nodded and tried to show him I could, but he ended up needing to catch me, "okay, not. I will help you get cleaned up."

I wanted to argue, but I wanted to be rid of the red guts covering me, so I didn't argue. I mean, it's not like he hadn't seen me naked before anyways. He ripped the shirt and bra I was wearing, as well as the shorts and panties, then took off his own clothes before putting us both in the shower.

My head spun and I had to close my eyes so I didn't feel like I was going to topple over at any moment. I rested my back on Eric's chest as he washed my front and then wrapped my arms around him as he washed my back and hair.

Somewhere between the shower and lying in his bed he had dried my hair and dressed me, "Sookie, you need blood."

"Of course I do." I muttered mostly to myself, "but it's not going to happen."

"I am not doing this to connect us, you really do need it. If you don't want mine I will call in Pam to give you hers. But you need it." He sounded serious, but I really didn't want to be connected to him.

"Fine. Call Pam." I grumbled angrily. I didn't need to have my eyes open to know that I had probably hurt him, but he got up and called Pam in anyways. I felt the bed sink down behind me and a female hand rolled me over.

I cracked my eyes open and saw Pam's disappointed face, "sit up." With help from Pam and Eric I managed to get in a good enough position, and Pam bit into her wrist before pressing it up to my mouth.

I took a few pulls, and then slumped down into the bed, allowing darkness to pull me under. The last thing I felt was Pam and Eric situating themselves beside me, and Pam telling Eric one thing.

"Do not be mad at her, I am sure she has her reasons. For now we need to rest." And then the pillow next to mine moved and I was out for the next 15 hours.


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

**Summer Vacation is here! I'm so happy, enjoy chapter 8!**

Waking up was not a fun joy, I could hear voices buzzing in the background, they seemed far away. But one female voice with a British accent rang loud and clear in my mind, and the worry that mind was feeling startled me.

Why could I hear Pam loud and clear but not the others? And then it occurred to me, I could hear Pam's thought. I jerked up right in the bed, staring across the room, willing Pam to be sitting close. But she wasn't even in the bedroom, at least not when I was sitting.

She ran in, a concerned look on her face, "are you hurt?" I shook my head, staring at Pam, "what is it then?" I stared harder at her, trying to get into her head. Her mind seemed to be blank again, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Nothing, I had a bad dream. How long have I been asleep?"

"15 hours. It's just a little after 6. Eric is at a meeting, he asked me to stick around and wait for you to wake. Are you hungry?" I shook my head no and told her I wanted to get dressed. She brought my luggage and then told me that we were leaving tomorrow at 6, so I got dressed and a little while later Pam and I went to the Café so I could eat.

We didn't do much of anything the rest of the day, and then we repeated the same routine the next night until I had to leave for the airport. I was happy Pam was going with me, because I still had issues with flying.

When we touched down in Monroe Pam already had a car waiting, after she found my bags she tossed them, and me, into the car and tore down the road, "are you okay?" she nodded stiffly, but I could the worry coming off of her. Something was bothering her. I closed my eyes and sighed.

And then I one word, or should I say name, hit my mind, _Vera. _The mind that spoke it was slightly British and definitely female. I looked over at the tense blonde beside me, "where is Vera?"

"I don't have a clue. She disappeared after the incident. She just up and left." She admitted, still keeping up the calm, indifferent appearance.

"You don't have to act like you don't care Pam. We are friends. And I can tell your worried about her."

"You said you couldn't read vampires." She growled at me.

"I can't." I snapped, "I just know you're worried. I am not stupid Pam. You've been stuck in your own mind for the past two days. Bryant came to tell you about the store and you waved him off like you didn't care."

"Just drop it Sookie." She snarled at me, and I did for a little bit, but I couldn't just drop it. I wanted to know what was wrong; she was my friend after all.

"Pam, what was Vera to you?" she slammed her foot down on the break, I jerked forward, the seatbelt didn't have time to lock up so I smacked my head yet again, "Pam!" I yelped, turning to look at her.

She was gripping the steering wheel hard, her eyes wide staring in front of her at someone in front of our car. The headlights illuminated a curly white blonde head of a woman crouched in the middle of the road, scared.

We both got out of the car and walked over to her. Three things you'd think I'd have learned by now, 1) when strange things appear in front of your car do not go investigate. 2) When you ignore number 1 and go investigate, don't touch them, or it. 3) When it turns to look at you, don't scream.

Sadly, I did the opposite of everything I had just listed, I gently touched the woman's shoulder and when she turned her cold stare on me I scream and jumped back. Then slowly my brain registered that the crazed woman was Alexsandra and she was scared, dirty and crying.

It took us a few minutes to coax her into the car, and then another hour to get to my house, which was surprisingly empty. I guess they had gone to Claude's. I found no note, but why would I expect one when they weren't even aware I was coming home?

Pam took Alexsandra upstairs and cleaned her up while I made up the couch for Alexsandra to sleep on and looked to see if we had any food left, since Claude usually neglected to do so.

We had enough food that I wouldn't have to shop for awhile; I glanced at the answering machine. The number 6 blinked on it, I hit play. I had four messages from Sam and two from Amelia. Sam kept asking me to call him and Amelia just said 'it's me' and hung up.

I was 9 o'clock, Sam would be at the bar, but I hoped not to busy. The phone only rang twice before he picked up, "Hey Sam, its Sookie. I just wanted to let you know I was back, and safe."

"Oh hey Cher." He greeted happily, "I'm glad you're back and safe. Did all go well?"

"Well, I guess that would depend on whose view you were asking about. I'll fill you in next time I'm at work. But let's just say it went." I smirked, rolling my eyes at what ideas were probably rolling through his head.

"Did you see him?"

"Yep." I replied, popping the 'p', I heard a yell upstairs, "sorry Sam, I have a guest I gotta go. Bye!" I hung up before he could say anything else and sprinted into the bathroom, Pam was being pinned to the wall by an unseen force and Alexsandra was sitting in my bathtub with completely white eyes, "what the heck I going on in here?"

Her head turned toward me and Pam dropped to the ground gracefully, "that witch bitch." Pam growled, rubbing her neck, "Look, I just wanted to get you cleaned up! There is no need for you to attack me."

"Pam, she's just freaked out. It's going to happen." I snapped, "You can't hold that against her. Why don't you go wait downstairs. I'll see if I can help her." Pam shrugged and walk out of the room.

"Alexsandra, are you okay?" I whispered. She looked up at me; her dirt covered face and matted white blonde hair mixed with her wide scared white eyes made her look like a child. What have I gotten myself into this time?

"Alexsandra, I'm going to turn the water on, but I need you to get out of the tub? Okay?" she nods and I offer her my hand, carefully pulling her out of the tub. I directed her to the toilet and had her sit on it while I let the tub fill up.

When it was done filling up I helped her out of her shirt and jeans, she said she'd rather be in her bra and panties, which I was honestly just fine with, and I helped her in the tub to clean up.

She began to calm down, her hair went from white blonde back to brown and so did her eyes. She said she was okay to finish cleaning up by herself so I went to find Pam. She was sitting in the living room on her phone talking to Eric.

"Look, you cannot blame her. She was confused, hurt and delirious. Maybe she didn't want to be connected to you because she hates you or maybe it's because she wants a second chance with you without blood being shared. Or hell maybe she's a lesbian now. Regardless of what it is, give her space." She growled into the phone. She made an annoyed noise and pulled the phone away from her ear.

A beep signaled that she had hung up, "How is she?"

"Cleaning up. She's back to normal. I'm not a lesbian Pam." I took a seat next to her on the couch, "to be honest I don't know why I didn't want his blood. I just didn't want to do it. Ya know?"

"I don't, actually. But I understand that you have you own pesky beliefs and reasons behind everything." Pam stretched out, her feet resting on my table, "anyways, Eric asked me to clarify what happened last night and the plan, to make sure you knew exactly what happened. Are you confused about anything?"

"Vera staked the Queen, right?" I had assumed she had, but I'd been so dizzy and out of it that I wasn't really sure.

"Yes." Pam blinked a few times, "and you are clear Eric had nothing to do with you being there helping? The Queen called me after she had gone missing and demanded I retrieve you. She claimed that it was because I knew you."

Pam waved her hand dismissively in the air like she didn't care, "Why are you sad?"

I blinked at Pam in surprise, "what? I'm not sad. If anyone is sad it's you." Pam glared at me out of the corner of her eye and turned to the TV, it was off, but I could see that the screen was crackling, flickers of white danced across it.

"What the hell." We whispered together, leaning forward. The TV crackled louder, and before I knew it Pam was pulling me over the back of the couch pressing against me as the TV exploded, I squeezed my eyes shut and clung to Pam.

Then I was outside in my car and Pam was dashing back in the house, and then throwing a towel clad Alexsandra in the backseat before tearing down the road, "call Claude, find out where he is. I'm sure he can handle a witch. I can find a place to sleep." She tosses her cell phone at me and I quickly dialed the number.

It rang twice and Dermot answered the phone, "Dermot, its Sookie. Where are you guys? I get home and you're gone and then my TV blows up!"

"We're at Hooligans. Is Pam with you? Stupid question of course she is. Come down now. We're closed." I nodded and hung up, not bothering to tell Pam what he said. I knew she could hear him.

We drove in silence, until about half way there when we stopped to find my bags in the trunk to give something to Alexsandra so she wasn't naked when we arrived. When we finally pulled up I was confused to see Genie standing outside.

I jumped out of the car and ran over to her, she squealed when she saw me and I picked her up spinning her around in the air before setting her down. Max came running out behind her and I picked him up and spun him as well.

Pam and Alexsandra walked behind me slowly into the building, Pam gave the kids an odd look as she passed by them into the building. When I walked in Claude was holding her against the wall.

"You know if she really wanted to she could break your hand and rip your throat out." I said, putting a hand on his shoulder, he let her go and back around the bar. I rolled my eyes at his antics, "what happened that you guys are here? Why did my TV blow up?"

"Something was stalking the property. Did you not find our note?" Dermot asked, a perplexed look crossing his face, "I think it was just a vampire, nothing to worry about. But we didn't want a vampire to catch us, or the kids, in the middle of the night or morning on their way to school."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain the TV exploding." Pam said from her spot leaning against the wall, "unless that was you Alexsandra."

"I have better things to do in the shower than blow up Miss Stackhouse's TV." She answered; Pam smiled at her, and the way she did it made Alexsandra blush.

"Pam, now is not the time!" I yelped, my face turning red as well, "that is nasty."

She raised an eyebrow at me, "I only smiled Sookie." She batted her eyelashes at me innocently, with a mischievous grin on her face, "anyways, now we have a TV exploding and a vampire lurking your property. You can never seem to get away from danger can you Sookie?"

"Not when you're around." I answered, she smiled at me and I had a feeling she was thinking once again how much I had changed in the last year, "where are you staying?"

"My house. You are welcome, Cousin. But not the vampire or the witch."

"Don't worry about us, Claude; I have a place for us to stay. Just make sure Sookie is safe at your home and we won't have a problem. I will investigate what happened. Have a good night Sookie." She grabbed Alexsandra and left.

"Pam?" she stopped in the door way and turned to me, "keep me in the loop on this, alright?"

"Of course." And just like that the two women were gone. I turn to Claude, and he sighs, "We'll be heading home soon."

"Good. I'll wait with the kids then." I told him heading for the table they were sitting at playing cards. They asked me a bunch of questions, wondering where I'd gone, who I'd met, who that witch was and if I had a boy friend now. I answered as vaguely as I could, I couldn't exactly tell them I'd helped kill someone.

"Were you there when the Queen was killed?"

My eyes must've bugged out of my head when Genie asked me that, "what? How do you know about that?"

"Some lady named Linda was here talking to my dad about it." Linda came here?

"Did you see Linda?"

"No. Why? Is she pretty?" Genie asked, staring at me intently.

"Yes, she's pretty. I was just wondering is all? Funny your dad didn't say anything about it."

"So, were you there when she was killed?"

"What do you mean by "there"?"

"Were you in the room? That Linda lady said some crazy telepath let the queen bite her so that someone else could stake her."

"Now Genie, you need to keep quiet about that okay? This conversation never leaves this room, okay? Vampires are very secretive about this stuff and Linda was an idiot for talking about it in public. Yes I was there, but I wasn't involved."

She shrugged and moved on from that discussion to asking me if I'd seen Eric, or met any Weres. By the time she was done questioning me she was getting tired and we were leaving.

She asked to ride with me and when we finally pulled up at Claude's house she was asleep. I scooped her out of the passenger seat and carried her up to her room, she woke up enough so that I could change her and then she curled up and went to sleep.

I found Max and said goodnight to him too before I slipped into the shower and changed into a pair of sweats and a tank top, then I went to find Claude. I had a few questions for him to answer.

He was in his study on the phone when I found him, "alright, bye Verandah." He said into the phone hanging up. He looked annoyed and I wasn't sure if it was because of me or whoever it was on the phone.

"What can I help you with Sookie?" he asked, turning his full attention to me.

"What is wrong with Linda? Why has everyone been so adamant that I am nothing like her? She seemed like a ditz to be honest, but you guys make her sound like she's Satan's spawn or something."

"She is." He answers dead serious, "she is the most evil, vindictive, manipulative bitch I've ever met. It is only coincidence she looks like you. Compared to her you're a saint or something."

"Do you mean she literally is the spawn of Satan or figuratively?"

"Literally."

"Satan's a fairy?" Claude rolled his eyes at me, "well?"

"No, he's not Satan either. He goes by the name Dion." Claude looked more annoyed then anything now, "he's a fairy but as bad as this 'Satan' you talk about. It's of no concern for you because you aren't a threat to them, and I suggest you keep it that way."

"I saw his name, in a book I found." The mention of the book made Claude looked at me like he was actually interested in something I had to say, "I have it with me, it's up in my room."

"Then lets go look at it, I want to see what this book is." On our way up the stairs Claude pulled Dermot up with us. When I showed them the book, Claude looked like he was ready to hug me, because he looked that happy.

He took the book and sat in the chair in the corner of my room, Dermot peering over his shoulder while I sat on the bed and watched them, they probably stared at the book, on whatever page they were, for 20 minutes before he looked up.

"Where the hell did you get this?"

"The Queen's library. Eric brought it to me after the building exploded, I guess he knew I had gotten it down somehow." I shrug, "anyways, is it just a vampire that you were concerned about or was it something else, at my house."

"Just the vampire." Dermot said, "he was getting far to close to the house. Compton said he'd try and find out what it was doing, but he didn't ever say anything to us after I had called him."

After another hour of Claude reading the book, he finally shut it and handed it back to me, "if you run across more of these books, well I suggest you find them, they would help you far more then I can. And if you find the monster that wrote them you'd be even better off. Goodnight Cousin."

I nodded as they left and locked the bedroom door behind them as I crawled up into my bed. Exhausted. I fell asleep a few minutes after I crawled under the covers. My dreams were peaceful, and I slept until noon the next day.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

Once I was fully awake, I showered and headed down to the book store 15 minutes away from Claude's house. Sure it wasn't likely they'd have books like that lying around, but it wouldn't hurt to see what they did have.

Since Claude wouldn't explain anything to me, mostly because he didn't want to and because he said the books held more knowledge than he did, I figured I might as well just try and find them. It's not like they had the books that the Fae kept, those were trapped in fairy land.

Dermot and Claude answered any questions I had about my Fae heritage but it'd be handier to have the books, so I could learn with out having to wait for something to happen that made me have a question about it.

While I was there I lost track of time, the place was huge, bigger than the library at the mansion. The whole place had that old book smell, I didn't want to leave and I spent a good hour just downstairs in the newest of the older books. Then I made my way up to the older books and looked around.

"Have you found what you're looking for yet miss?" the sudden appearance of the shop owner almost made me jump.

"No, not yet." I told him, he gave me a quizzical look and then cocked his head to the side. I was a little weirded out so I slipped into his head, he was wondering what a fairy could be doing in his shop.

"What are you?" I sputtered before I thought about it.

"I'm a shifter." He replied, "Can't you tell?"

"No." I tell him, trying to hide my disbelief; I mean his thoughts were so lucid. There was no way, even with my enhanced telepathy Shifters minds still weren't crystal clear. But just easier to navigate through. Maybe it was just more enhanced stuff.

"Oh, anyways, what is it you were looking for?" Claude had told me not to tell anyone about the books so I guess I would have to come up with something.

"Books about vampires." I answered, "My sister is in a relationship with one and I just kinda wanna know what to expect, ya know?"

"I have one, but if a vampire finds it you better make sure not to tell them you got it from me." He tells me, I nod and he walks off to go get the book, when he comes back he's carrying a big bulky book.

"Come on and I'll check you out. I've gotta close early. Full moon and it's a long drive to my pack." He explained extremely open about the whole thing with some random stranger. Maybe he sensed I wasn't a threat to him or something. Not that I was. Or maybe he was just being dumb.

"Okay." I replied, following him downstairs, he rang up my order, which was only 15 dollars and then pushed me out. I kept the book close to me on my short walk to the car and tucked it under my seat as I headed back to Claude's.

Half way there Alexsandra called me and let me know that they found the baby vampire that had been stalking my property. It was a turned witch and she was also who had blown up my TV. Either way I was majorly creeped out by having random vampires lurking my property and blowing my things up, especially with my family living with me.

I thanked her for letting me know and then hung up so I could finish my drive to Claude's. He was sitting in the kitchen thumbing through a magazine when I got back, "find anything interesting at the book store."

"Not what I was looking for." I replied, "but I found a book about vamps." I pulled out the book and finally took a look at the heavy book the Were had given me. Claude peered at it over the counter.

The book was a musty brown color and the word 'vampire' was scrawled in red across the front. I slowly pulled the book open. From the state of the book I knew it was pretty old.

"Why did you get that?"

"I had to lie to the guy about why I was there, first thing that popped into my head was 'vampire'." I replied with a shrug as I flipped past the first few pages.

The beginning pages had a lot of weird words and definitions; I flipped past them opening it to a place in the middle it had information about how you become a vampire and continued flipping I found a bunch of folk lore and tales of vampires, and ironically enough I came across mention of a blonde Viking vampire and his childe. It made me grin to myself stupidly; it was about a massacre years ago.

Claude left in the middle of my examination of the book to head to Hooligans, leaving me to explore the book alone in the kitchen, once I finally get tired of looking aimlessly through it I head upstairs and tuck it away with the other book and flop down on my temporary bed. The fan swirls slowly above me, the AC clicks on, and it suddenly gets really cold. I shiver and crawl under the covers to try and get warm.

I think over everything that has happened, from Pam showing up to Vera disappearing to me kissing Eric right after he fed. The thought still made me shudder. He may have been telling the truth about not planning on screwing her, but it still made my skin crawl thinking about the fact he had been sleeping with other women.

Not that I could blame him really, I was just being petty and jealous.

Suspecting it and having it confirmed are two different things. I knew he had to do it with the Queen, it was required by contract, but the others and they were his choice. I mean I truly expected it, and if I ever found someone I could do that with I would, but between the mind reading, work and the extra fairy garbage I was getting I really didn't have the time or want to act on anything regardless. It was still a shock.

I let out a long sigh and stretched out. I really needed to call Sam back though, or maybe stop in and see him. I decided to do just that, I showered grabbed my bags, the books and loaded up my car heading down to my house before going to Merlottes.

After a long talk with Sam about what had happened and a few weeks adjusting to being back in my boring life I was going about a normal routine of going to work and then going home after. On my days off I'd do chores like grocery shopping and cleaning the house, and then I'd read, tan or spend a few hours watching TV.

My routine was comfortable, occasionally Alexsandra would show up and we'd spend the day shopping. She'd become the only friend I had outside of work and my house, I was thankful that her botched spell had sent her to the place she missed the most. Her hometown, she ended up staying while continuing her search for Vera for a while until she decided to say screw it and just stopped.

I'd given up most hope of Eric to return to Bon Temps and sweep me off my feet, or at least just show up, but he never did. I didn't see Pam that much, once the acting sheriff of area 5 paid me a visit to ask if I noticed anything strange going on, but why the heck would I?

I told him that I hadn't and that he needed to leave my property at once. We argued for an hour and then I called up Alexsandra who worked up a nifty spell that worked sort of like rescinding someone's invitation to enter my home. If I told them to get off my property they had to, and any body that was deemed to have malicious intent to anyone on my property, wouldn't be able to get on the property. I was happy with that; it let me not worry about Claude, Dermot and the kids being eaten by a vampire.

Then two months after the incident with the Sheriff, I got an invitation in the mail from the Vampire King of Louisiana inviting me to a vampire ball. I looked at the letter completely bewildered. Why the hell would he want me to attend the ball? I outright didn't like the man. I tossed the card aside almost instantly and moved on to the bills that had been delivered with it.

It wasn't until Alexsandra called me a week before the ball that I actually remembered the invitation. She convinced me I should go and then told me we should go shopping, and to be honest I really wanted to get out of the house so this would be my excuse.

Two days later Alexsandra and I went to the mall in Monroe to look for dresses, it took awhile but I finally found the perfect dress, but if I thought mine took long to find Alexsandra's took an eternity.

She was a huge perfectionist and if one little thing was out of place on the dress, like the hemline was an inch too short she'd toss it aside and look for a new one. During those two hours I wished over and over that I was a witch so I could cast a spell on her that would make her pick a damn dress.

It didn't take nearly as long to find shoes and then we went out to dinner. I stayed at Alexsandra's so that we could go to the ball together. We spent most of the day preparing, Alexsandra had paid for us to go to a spa, and I made a mental note to pay her back for it, before I let myself relax and enjoy the spa.

By the time we were pulling out of her driveway however a nervous knot had formed in my stomach, the whole drive I fiddled with my necklace and glanced in the mirror, and out the window. I tried to distract myself with singing along to the radio but it didn't help.

Why had I been invited to the ball? And why did Alexsandra insist I came along? I glanced over at my friend; she was watching the road a relaxed expression on her face as she twirled her hair absently with one hand.

She was wearing a black dress with a high neckline and a pink wrap belt, her hair was no longer curly but pin straight and hanging down to the middle of her back. She looked nice and relaxed, but I could see a hint of nervousness flicker through her eyes and her thoughts, which were, for the most part, heavily guarded from me.

I looked down at my own dress, it was strapless and burgundy, it clung to the right spots showing of my curves but hung loose past my hips down to the middle of my thigh, I had on matching strappy heels that cost more than the dress did, and my nails had been done in a French manicure.

I drummed my nails on my thigh absently as I looked ahead, I could see lights and cars, soon enough we were slowed to a crawl as we approached the house in a huge line of cars. That's when I noticed how tense Alexsandra was; her hands gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles turning almost white. She was chewing on her lip with her eyes locked forward and sitting stock straight, unlike her earlier relaxed position.

When we reached the gate I fished out our invites and she passed them to the guard, he motioned to another guard, this one a vampire, whispered something and let us through after the vampire ran off.

A few more people directed us to our parking spot. She tucked her keys into her bra and adjusted it until they weren't visible before leading me up the semi-lit path to huge doors and into a crowd filled room.

Vampires were everywhere with a few Weres as well. Humans, most likely pets, milled around the edges of the room, a few with their owners, mostly keeping to themselves as was expected. Alexsandra had grabbed up my wrist when we entered and proceeded to drag me through the room, she was searching for someone.

She pushed through a few people, leaving me to apologize as I bumped into them after her, and then she dropped my wrist, squealed and ran into someone who hugged her back ecstatically.

As they broke a part I found myself looking at Vera, she was in a short dress, with a red bodice decorated in red lace, and a flowy black skirt. Her hair was pushed back with a red head band and she had apparent fang marks on her neck, they matched my own fading scars.

"Sookie!" she said with a smile, giving me a brief hug, "how are you?"

"Good, how are you? I certainly didn't expect to see you here!" I replied. She pulled us off to a less crowded part of the room and the three of us spent a half an hour talking. Vera was in the middle of telling us about some witch guy she'd met when my eyes were drawn across the room to a tall, blonde, muscular man.

He was standing next to a blonde woman in a pastel pink dress and tall pumps, I found myself staring. _It couldn't be, could it_? Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it was Pam and Eric who were standing there.

Vera fell silent, noticing what I was looking at, or rather, who. "go talk to him."

I snapped my head around, blinking, "what do you mean?"

"You know what I mean Sookie. Go talk to him."

I shake my head, "why is here?"

"Did you not read the invitation Sookie?"

"Honestly, no."

"Eric is the new King of Louisiana. This is his ball, he invited you personally." Vera said, "He's been a real bitch about whining about you not coming and waiting for this day, I swear if I didn't know better I'd think he was a she. Please go talk to him, if you don't I'll never hear the end of it and I might just ask Pam to drink me dry."

My jaw dropped to the table, I wasn't sure if it was because she called Eric a bitch, said she'd have Pam kill her, or the fact that he invited me himself. I felt my face heating up and I ducked my head, "wait; didn't know any better?"

"He struts around after his showers naked; the man has no moral principles." Vera grumbled.

"Come on Sookie." Alex said my name a little louder than she needed to and I peeked up to see Eric and Pam looking this way, their attention was quickly taken up by a new vampire though, "Grow a pair."

I stared at Eric for a little while longer. I really wanted to go talk to him, but I didn't want to interrupt his conversation, even though I found myself on my feet and walking over to him, he was talking to the vampire that I had kicked off my property awhile ago, he gave me a nasty look as I walked up.

I tapped on Eric's shoulder lightly, he turned and smiled at me, turning his back fully on the vampire, "Sookie, you came." He said, sounding genuinely happy, "you look beautiful."

"Thank you." I said under my breath, "you look handsome."

He smiled wider, it reached his eyes and made them light up and butterflies filled my stomach, "would you like to dance Sookie?"

"I would." He offered me his hand and I took it, following him to the dance floor where we gracefully glided across the floor, we talked a little as we danced and he said my name a lot. Every time he did my stomach fluttered a little bit.

When the song changed to a slower song Eric pulled me closer, my arms went around his neck and his hands fell to my hips, "I've really missed you Sookie. I'm sorry I screwed everything up."

"You didn't, we did." I told him, my voice barely above a whisper, "and I'm sorry."

"I want to start again." He told me, "I want to start us over again the right way."

I didn't answer him, my mind buzzed and I thought about the possible answers and what starting over meant. It meant being with him again, and having a chance at those good times we shared. It meant possibly talking and making this work. Why not give it a shot?

Then instead of telling him I wanted to start over I leaned up and kissed him. It was gentle, slow and short but it made my heart beat a little bit faster and left me wanting more, I had missed the feel of his lips on mine.

His eyes locked with mine and he pulled me up and kissed me. It was not a rough kiss but not a gentle one either; it was filled with so many emotions but mostly longing. I didn't want to break away but I knew I needed to breathe so slowly I pulled away, my eyes locking with his once more, "come with me." He murmured, pulling me out of the room and up a spiral staircase.

He pulled me into a huge bedroom and sat down in a chair across from me, he looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to do it. I waited patiently watching him.

"What is it Eric?" I asked after a good chunk of silence.

"I don't know how to do this." He finally said, "To start over, and pretend like none of it happened, but I want to start over."

"We don't have to actually start over because I mean how good would it be if we just pretended what happened never happened, it did, but it's behind us." I told him. Being around him made my thoughts lucid and it made me sound like I knew what I was talking about, even though my brain was screaming with confusion. He just had this way of making me say stuff before I thought about it, "forgive but not forget."

"Forgive but not forget?" he asked slowly, I nod and he stares at something behind my head for a few minutes before his eyes meet mine again, "would you like to go to the movies Saturday night?"

"I'd love to." I replied, he smiled.

"Alright, I'll pick you up around 7. I need to get back in there though." He let out an unneeded breath as he stood up, offering me his hand once more. I took it and walked side by side with him back into the room.

Everyone had turned to stare at us, Eric wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close, kissing me. It was soft and lingering, but finally he pulled away when Pam stepped over to us, "Sookie." Her voice came out in a purr, "so nice to see you again."

"You too Pam." I reply smiling, she pulls me away from Eric and gives me a hug. When she lets me go I stand between them looking around for Vera and Alexsandra.

"They're having sister time, come on lets leave the King to his business." She laughs at her maker and drags me across the room to some tables with food on them, "I figured you didn't see it since Vera and Alexsandra don't really come over here."

I raise an eyebrow at her but agree with her that I hadn't known there was food or drinks. I poured myself a glass of what I guessed was wine and followed Pam over to a table in the corner.

We talked a little and then fell silent as Pam watched Vera dancing with some guy on the dance floor, I sat back in my chair observing the crowd until a song came on that I recognized, which was strange because it wasn't a song that vampire radio usually played, and its strange because the singer isn't the one who wrote the song.

"Who the hell is singing that?" I wondered aloud, a human standing near by answered me, the song was Grenade by Bruno Mars, except as I had said not by Bruno.

"Ariana Grande." She answered, "It's her cover and apparently a favorite of the pet of the sheriff of area five."

"Yep, sure is my favorite song." Vera said with a smile, dropping down in a chair beside me, "hey Pam. Whatcha staring at?"

The leer she gave Vera's cleavage answered her question and she smiled, leaning over the table, "my face is up here doll." She grasped Pam's chin and tilted up.

I almost laughed, like I said almost, but I held it back turning to the human who had answered my question, "Thanks."

"No problem." And then she skirted away her eyes staring at Pam. She doesn't look away until she's far away from the table.

"So, you're the new sheriff?"

"Yeah, and I'm running Fangtasia with the help of my witch and her sister." She answered, I couldn't tell if she was happy about it or not but her attention was quickly pulled away by Vera, and mine was soon captured by Eric, who came and joined us at the table.

"Ya know, for someone throwing this stupid ball you sure aren't paying attention to your guests." Vera said with a smirk.

"I'm paying attention to the important one." He replied, staring at me.

"Are you kidding me?" Vera hollered, I knew she was joking, "you bitched about getting this just right for weeks and now you're going to sit down and my goo-goo eyes at Sookie? You couldn't have just called her and asked her to come see you? Or gone to see _her?_" with that she huffed, grabbed Pam's hand and stalked off.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the anger on Eric's face, "calm down Eric, she was only doing it so she'd have a reason to walk off with Pam." He grumbles something that I don't hear and then pulls me back out to dance.

It was the end of the night now and everyone was starting to clear out, Alexsandra was waiting for Vera and I by the door, I was standing with Eric, waiting for him to finish up his conversation with some vampire.

I almost cheered when he walked away, I was about to fall over I was so tired, "sorry about that Sookie. Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

"Starting over." I remind him, "I'm not ready to jump back in your bed just yet."

He smiles, leaning down so his mouth brushes by my ear, "I know you will be soon." He says, pulling away and speaking louder, "I'll see you soon then." He brushes a kiss on my cheek and straightens up.

I walk away, telling myself I can kiss him some other time, and wait with Alexsandra by the door, leaning on the wall to keep myself from falling over. When Vera finally skips over Alexsandra snaps that it took her long enough and we march out to her car. I slump down in the back seat tiredly.

It was a long night, and I was ready to just crawl in my bed and sleep. Or well the bed Alexsandra was lending me for the night. The second the door was unlocked Vera and I zoomed upstairs while Alexsandra trudged slowly behind us. I pushed the door to my room shut, pulled off my dress, hung it up and threw on a baggy shirt before diving into the bed and falling asleep.

**Did I move it along too fast? I just thought it would be more logical if a little time passed, because Eric obviously wouldn't be able to just rush out of there after it. What do you think? **

**Also, if you haven't been getting the updates when I post (even if you've only not gotten a few) could you let me know? I know some people haven't, and I wanna know if it's happened to anyone else. Thanks!**

**-Mel**


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

**I feel I should point out that I've never been to Louisiana, or really out on a date with anyone either, so my ideas of where this date goes is limited to things I can find on google, and therefore I'm generally making up crap from the top of my head. But I'm trying to make it good crap. Also, due to the whole vampires being known thing, anything I mentioned that would normally be considered a day time thing is open at night. **

**Secondly, I edited chapter 9 a bit more, so I'd love it if you could check it out so maybe some things will be cleared up if it had confused you. It confused me too, I wrote all of the outlines of these chapters awhile ago and now I'm just adding stuff to make it more than something boring, and I guess I just didn't really check chapter 9 over well.**

**I hope this, and my editing of chapter 9, clears everything up. I'm really grateful for everyone that has been reading, reviewing, faving, and alerting. I'm trying my hardest to write these fast, answer questions and reply to reviews. You guys are awesome, and I'm glad you like my story.**

By 6:45pm on Saturday I was putting my makeup on; I went light on everything, a little mascara, some light brown eye liner and eye shadow. I stepped back and examined myself in the mirror. I was in a white tank top with a light black sweater with a pair of jeans, I mean we were just going to the movies so I didn't need to get too dressed up.

I pulled my hair half up and down, making sure my ears were still covered, and stepped out of the bathroom. Claude had been staying at his house still with the kids and Dermot was in his room in the attic.

I smiled, having the house to myself for the most part had allowed me to play some music and sing loudly off key, Dermot didn't seem to mind, or didn't say anything, and for the most part I tried to keep it down.

I shut off my stereo as I walked out the door and headed into the kitchen. I located my keys, my phone, my wallet and my purse. After making sure I had everything I was just about to check the clock when I heard the knock on the door.

I pulled open the door and smiled at Eric, he was in a pair of jeans and a lose fitting blue t-shirt, "Good evening Sookie, you look lovely."

"Thank you Eric." I smiled my eyes running up and down his body again, "you look great."

"Thank you, are you ready to go?" he says, offering me his hand.

"Yep. Dermot! I'll see you later!" I yelled back into the house stepping out of the house. I locked the door behind me and took Eric's hand, following him down the steps to his car. He brought his Corvette.

He held the door open for me and closed it once I had slid in, he was in the car beside me I the next second, "so there are a few movies out, did you see one you wanted to watch?"

"I don't really care, just nothing to blood and gore, I've got enough of that in my life." I tell him with a smile.

"Alright, sounds good with me." I smiled, he was scrolling through something on his phone, "okay so they have Black Swan, Sucker Punch, the Hangover part two, Green Lantern, Pirates of the Caribbean, Kung Fu Panda two." He paused long enough to slow down when he spotted the cop car.

"Hmm, well." I said, chewing on my lip, "definitely not Black Swan, or the Hangover, or Kung Fu Panda, I've already had to see that."

"How about Sucker Punch? I don't really know what it's about but it looks weird, but Pam said it was pretty good."

"Alright." He put his phone back in his pocket, the drive to the theater only took like half an hour, and the theater was pretty empty when we got there. Eric bought the tickets and got me some popcorn before while I found us some seats.

My stomach was tangled in a mess of nerves while I waited, my eyes scanning the crowd. It was mostly humans, but I found a few Were brains and Vamps too, I didn't know why I was so panicky I was just uncomfortable. I couldn't say why.

Eric slid into his seat beside me, handing me popcorn, the candy I'd asked for and setting a soda beside me while his own TruBlood rested in the cup holder beside him, "are you okay Sookie? You seem tense."

"I'm fine, just, my stomach's all knotted. I'll be okay." I replied, popping a piece of the butter popcorn in my mouth, Eric chuckled beside me, "what?"

"Are you nervous because of something supernatural or because you're here with me?" he turns and locks those gorgeous blue eyes with mine, my stomach flip-flops, was it because I was on a date with him?

"I don't rightly know." I told him before pointing at the screen, "but the movies starting." I break the stare and turn to the screen, settling into my seat. I move the soda to the cup holder for the empty seat beside me and rest my hand on the now vacant holder, a few minutes later Eric's big hand takes my smaller one, my fingers lace through his and a sensation I can't name shoots through my arm.

But I'm content through the rest of the movie, which was pretty wacky, and when we walk out hand in hand I'm grinning like an idiot, I would have never really pictured a date between Eric and I going this well. I always expected something to ruin it, but not even his guards seemed to kill the fabulous mood I was in.

They surrounded him secretly, and if I hadn't recognized Charles I'd bet it was safe to say I wouldn't have noticed them, Eric had apologized for their presence, but I felt a little safer knowing that nothing creepy would be able to attack us, because usually if we were together there was something after us.

"I know we said a movie date, but I'm not really ready for you to go home, is that okay Sookie?" he asks as we settle in the car.

"It's fine with me Eric, I'm enjoying spending time with you, and so anything we do is really fine with me. Did you have anything planned?"

"Not really, just spending more time with you." He answers, "Is there anything you've seen that you want to do?"

"Well, they opened a new Aquarium zoo kinda thing in Alexandria that does night-tours. Maybe that'd be something to do." I supplied, remembering seeing it in the paper, "but it's up to you. I wouldn't care if we parked somewhere and sat around talking."

"Well, the nights young, so we could always do both. Let me make a phone call." He told me, smiling. His conversation was fast and in another language, and then he made a second call, in English, to the aquarium, and then a third reverting back to another language.

"Well, look like we missed the tour but we can still go walk around ourselves." He gives me another smile. To be truly honest with myself, if he kept smiling at me like that I wouldn't care if we were sitting around watching cows poop, I'd sit there and watch for hours.

I had missed this side of him, the relaxed not so high handed vampire side. During those last few weeks I almost forgot how sweet he could be, "Sookie, you're staring." He said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Can't help it." I mumble, he reaches over and takes my hand, giving it a light squeeze before I feel the car pull to a stop. I hadn't noticed how close we were. I got out and followed Eric up to the doors.

I was a little more than shocked when the ticket guy bowed when Eric stepped in the door, he even bowed his head at me slightly, "King." He said nervously, barely lifting his eyes from the floor.

"Good evening." Eric replied, his voice seeming stiff, "how much for two adults?"

"T-thirty bucks." The kid in front of us wasn't a vampire so why he was so nervous about Eric being there, other than the fact Eric was pretty intimidating on his own, I didn't know. Most humans didn't know about vampire politics though, I wasn't in the mood to poke through his head so I just let myself wonder absently about it.

Eric simply pulled out his wallet, handed the kid the money, got our tickets and walked by, once we were far enough away that I didn't think the kid would hear me I asked him why the kid was so nervous, because poking through his brain wouldn't have been nice.

"He's a pet of someone at the court. He wasn't expecting me is all." He informed me, "I don't really know why he was so nervous." He pulls me into past the gift shop and into the hallway that led to something called 'The Tunnel'.

"That reminds me, how is it you came to be King of Louisiana? I meant to ask that night but I was just enjoying myself I didn't even think to ask."

"Felipe had always wanted to get his hands on Okalahoma, I'm not really sure why but after the things with the Queen cleared up and it was proven that I had nothing to do with her death, Felipe and I did a state trade, since I was looking to marry the man. He agreed so here we are."

"Well, that certainly sounds unexpected, wasn't he always looking to get his hands on Louisiana? And he just gave it up?"

"No." Eric answered, "He rules Okalahoma, just as he ruled here, but the state is shared between us. I rule here, but Louisiana is shared between us. If that makes any sense."

"Not really." I inform him.

"Well I don't really know how to explain it. I guess if anything were to happen to Felipe, or anything were to happen to me, he would take over here, or I would take over there." He answers, "But I'm positive nothing will happen to either of us, because I can't kill him unless I want to find someone else to run the state for me, same for him. There is nobody he trusts enough to run a state without him being there, so he settled for this."

"Oh, so he still gets the power from owning ruling both states, but only has to rule the one?"

"Yeah, kind of like that. Basically the same as it would have been if he married me while I was King of Okalahoma, just without the marriage part. I suppose I could have just said that."

"Ya know what, I shouldn't have asked. Vampire politics always give me a headache anyways." I joked, he laughed softly as we entered the area called The Tunnel.

We were standing in a hallway with those dome glass ceilings so it was like you were walking through the ocean, the fish saw on all sides of us, a shark swam over us and the brilliant blue water was actually glowing.

"Well I'm glad you asked, at least I know you feel comfortable asking me." He says, "if there's anything else at all that you want to know don't hesitate to ask me. I want us to be completely open about everything, okay?"

"I wont hesitate to ask you anything." I tell him, "I learned that keeping my mouth shut and just going along with things wont get me very far anyhow."

"Good, then I have one question for you." I pause and give him a look that says, ask away, "why did you agree to start over without asking me many questions?"

"Because I just…" I pause, trying hard to figure out how to explain it, "I just wanted…" I pause again, "After I kissed you, just after you had fed, I spent awhile trying to figure out why I did it. I still don't know why I did it. I just did, because I missed you. I missed being close to you, connected to you, around you. And I just wanted to. I didn't think about it, I just did it."

I pause and take a deep breath, "after I kicked you out of my house and cried my eyes out I realized how stupid I was to just kick you out. I didn't bother trying, I just shut down like an idiot and then when I saw you again, I was just like "what was I thinking?" I'm not really sure. I've tried to figure out my reasoning but all I keep coming back to was that I missed you."

"Why'd you agree to help Pam?"

"I was bored." I told him simply, because that was really the whole reason I had helped, the whole reason I had wanted to leave simply boiled down to boredom. He chuckles shaking his head, his eyes shift from me to the tank behind me, I turn in time to see the shark break his gaze from Eric and swim off, "Eric, did you really have no other choice then to marry her?"

"If I had another option I would have taken it. I would have done anything to keep you with me Sookie. It hurt me to leave you, but what hurt me the most was that I hurt you when I asked you to come with me. I wasn't thinking clearly, I was just thinking of a way to keep you with me."

"I don't think either of us was, when it comes to us we act, then think." I say, "Much like I just did, I say it then I think about what it was I said."

"I guess maybe we should try and reverse that then. Because I really want this to work. I want us to work." He tells me honestly.

"So do I." we fall silent, watching the fish swim around in the water, the shark circles back a few times, and all the while Eric are holding hands and just watching silently. It's a comfortable silence, and I have a huge smile on my face.

"Come on, more fish to see." He says after a few minutes, giving my arm a light tug, I pull my eyes away from the colorful fish and follow Eric into a new room. This one is darker, it's called the shark room, and I notice the shark in the other tank wasn't in here, which I found odd.

We sat and watched the sharks for awhile, they swam in circles and I made us leave before dinner, because honestly I didn't want to watch it so we wandered away to where they had snakes and other reptiles.

When we entered the snake area we almost walked into a couple getting freaky in the corner, I felt my face heat up at the sight and I pulled Eric quickly out of the room, "you look adorable when you blush." He comments off hand.

"Thanks Eric." I muttered, but the sight in there was enough to make me remember the 'one other person' Eric had mentioned he'd slept with, and now as I watched two frogs chasing there dinner I just wanted to ignore it.

"What's wrong Sookie?" Eric asked, coming up behind me, placing his hand on my lower back.

"I have another question. But I don't know if I want the answer." I whispered, not taking my eyes off of the frogs.

"You mean, you want to know who the other woman was." He says, as if he had read my mind.

"Am I that easy to read?" I murmur.

"Sort of." He replied, "It was Pam."

"I thought Pam wasn't allowed at the mansion."

"She wasn't. Didn't mean I never left." He answered, "Pam and her girl friend were having issues, and we both had itches that needed to be scratched. It was convenient and nothing more."

"You're not lying?" I ask, he turns me so I'm looking into his eyes.

"No. I've wanted to, I've had thoughts about it, but I never really did. It was just easier to have the no strings attached thing with Pam, attachments weren't really something I was looking for."

"Thank you for being honest." I say.

"What about you? Really nobody? No sex? Nothing?"

"No, mostly because at first I only had vampires as an option, and really wasn't interested in barking up that tree. And then with all of the Fae stuff that happened I was busy dealing with that and then it ruled vampires out as people I could be with, as well as other Supes because my powers amplified and then when Claude came back with the kids, I made myself busy. I thought about it sometimes, I always wondered if I should try to find someone, but I just didn't want to."

"So the last time you had sex…" he trails off.

"Was the last time we had sex." I finished, grabbing his hand, "come on I heard they have otters and I wanna find em!" I demand, tugging him behind me, he chuckles but lets me pull him along.

We spend the rest of the trip talking about lighter subjects, there were lots of smiles from him, and they all made the butterflies in my stomach flutter. He smile, rare as it was, was gorgeous.

"Are you hungry? Ready to go home?" he asks as we walk out the front doors around 2am.

"I'm kinda hungry." I admit, "But if you're ready to take me home so you can beat the sun I won't blame you."

"If you're hungry I can get you dinner. I'm kinda hungry too, I could use a TruBlood." He says, "how about we stop at an IHop on the way back to your house."

"Works for me." I reply with a smile, sliding into Eric's car once more. We drove in silence to the IHop and ate with a little small talk, "I've really had fun tonight, I'm glad we did this."

"Me too. I hope to do this more often. Maybe with less guards." He gestures to the three Weres and the vampire sitting at a few other tables.

"Honestly, I don't mind them. At least I know we're protected, right? I mean when it's just me and you we're always getting into trouble, at least there's a small chance of protection for both of us. I know you always throw yourself into danger to protect me, but now I have insurance you'll be safe even if you do that." I say sheepishly.

"Well, if you're having peace of mind them maybe I won't mind as much. But still it's rather annoying to be followed around. You should have seen what I had to go through just to get them to let me go to your house alone."

"Their compromise was to sit at the edge of my property." I informed him, "I noticed the car sitting on the edge of the road that started moving in front of us. Do all supernatural creatures drive like they're immortal?"

"Pretty much." He laughs, taking the last sip of his TruBlood.

"When did that start?" I say gesturing to the bottle of TruBlood.

"Well, vampire king and all, kinda have to make it look like we want to mainstream. Honestly I think of it like a child would water. It's not what I want, but it does what I need it to."

"Do you have donors at your disposal?"

"If I want them. I don't need blood that much, unless I'm around you. You make my cravings worse. I only need real human blood twice a month at most." He informs me, "and usually it's one of the donors that stick around the castle."

"Well. That's nifty news." I take a bite out of my waffles.

"Speaking of nifty news, are you ever going to tell me your abilities that you've found out? Like can you read vampires now?"

My eyes go wide, "no." I snap quickly, even though I had heard, possibly, Pam's thoughts, "I can levitate, and my eye sights better, I can heal minor wounds, I can shut off my telepathy and I can glamour people. Which I'm guessing is why you couldn't glamour me, because you can't glamour each other right?"

"No, we can't." his eyes had been boring into mine since he'd asked me if I could read vampire minds, right too hasty of a reply. I felt bad sort of lying to him.

"I lied." I said flatly, "I can't exactly say it out in the open. Not with." I gesture vaguely to the guards, "but it's only after an exchange."

I hope that wasn't too cryptic, or stupid, of a way of saying that I could read vampires after I drank their blood, "and it doesn't last more than a few seconds. If that's really what it was."

"I see." He says, he finally stops staring at me so intently and sits back to relax against the booth, he doesn't stare at me while I eat, as we talk he makes a little eye contact and scrolls through his phone. I'm not sure if it's because he's bored, annoyed, or just so he has something to do other than watch me eat.

After dinner, or breakfast as it seems, he drives me home, once again his guards wait at the property line, but as we go through Eric seems to grip the steering wheel harder, "what is it?"

"Why is there magic surrounding your house?" he asks, a hint of annoyance seeping into his words.

"Because when I returned home from Okalahoma there had been some baby vampire stalking my property and then the Sheriff of Area 5 came around and harassed me so I had Alexsandra put a spell on the property, nobody can enter my property with malicious intent and if I tell them to scram they have to. Much like the invitation into my house, just wider. I need to feel safe, and my family needs to be safe."

He nods, "that's very smart Sookie. Could you do me a favor though?"

"What?"

"If we ever get into another fight, like the one before, don't rescind my invitation to enter your property. I would only do so to protect you, I'd like to know that if I needed to I could come help you if you were in danger."

"I wouldn't do that." I tell him in a whisper stepping out of the car, "after Pam left my house that night I invited you back into my house. You just weren't around to hear it."

"Thank you Sookie." He says, standing in front of me so suddenly I almost jump, "No matter what happens between us, I will always be around to protect you."

"Thank you Eric, that means a lot to me." I whisper, "I never want to see you get hurt, and no matter what happens between us, I'll pretty much always be around to help you while I'm alive."

He smiles once more, my stomach once again flutters and he brushes a kiss across my cheek, "I'll be sure to call so we can have another date. Goodnight Sookie."

I didn't even notice that we were on my porch until he stepped around me and went down the stairs. I smiled to myself, fishing my keys out of my purse, "good night Eric!" I called after him before I unlocked my door and stepped inside, locking it behind me again.

I went to my room and changed into a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top before heading back into the kitchen to get some water, I found Dermot sitting at the kitchen table reading a news paper, "Hello Sookie." He said, looking up long enough to smile at me and then turning his attention back to the paper.

"Hey." I reply, "Anything interesting happen?"

"Not really, Claude dropped the kids off here though." He says off handedly, "he said he had some business he needed to do and that I owed him or something like that."

"More like he owes you for baby sitting." I pointed out, pouring water into a glass, "how long have they been here?"

"Since an hour after you left." He answers, "They're getting ready for bed now."

"Now? It's like 5 in the morning!" I yelp, "Are you crazy?"

"They were having a Winnie the Pooh marathon that they just _had _to watch." He says sarcastically, "I figured the later they're up the more hell Claude will have with them tomorrow since I won't be here and you have to work."

"You're evil." I laugh, sitting down at the table.

"How was your date?" he says, setting down the news paper and turning his attention to me.

"It was good." I said, "We went to the movies and that new aquarium and to breakfast."

"Sounds like a fun time. Was the Aquarium interesting? The kids said that they wanted to go."

"To be honest, I was really mostly looking at Eric the whole time. But it was big; there were lots of animals and things to do. We spent awhile there. I'd suggest going at night, because I mean, nobodies there. But either way, worth crowds to go. They'd love it."

"Who'd love what?" Max asks, appearing in the doorway.

"Hey Max!" I smile; he smiles and walks over to give me a hug. Genie is right behind him, wrapping her small arms around my neck and squeezing as hard as she can, "I was saying that you'd love it if your dad took you guys to the movies tomorrow and maybe shopping."

"That'd be cool." Genie says, "But he'd never do it. He's been spending most of his time with that Linda chick."

"With Linda? The big mouthed one?" I ask, why the heck would he be hanging around with her?

"Yeah, the one that talked about the vampire stuff." Well, that wasn't good. The kids were quick to say goodnight to us before they ran upstairs.

"Did you know about this?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at Dermot suspiciously.

"No. I thought he had a boyfriend." Dermot says, "From what I heard he never really liked Linda."

"He told me she was bad news." I said, more to myself then Dermot.

"She was bad news. Claudine hated her." Dermot says, "And that girl loved everyone."

I nod, sipping at my water, "Well, I'm going to head to bed. Can you wake me up before you leave?"

"Yeah. See you later." I nod and put my glass in the sink before going to my room and crawling into my bed, after changing of course, I was asleep a few minutes after I got settled.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Pam/Sookie Friendship, Eric/Sookie eventually-like you had to guess.**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

**A/N: I'm sorry to those of you who have reviewed and not received a reply, I haven't been able to reply as much because I'm packing up to go on 'vacation'. Which might delay me posting any other chapters for a few weeks, or speed it up. **

**Thank you to those who reviewed, faved, or alerted this story it means a lot to me. And to those that have stopped reading, I'm sorry my story was your cup of tea, thank you for reading while you did, and I hope some of my other stories might catch your interest. **

**Also, this is coming to and end soon, and I have maybe one or two more chapters left, and they will be longer than this one, I just wanted to get it up since I didn't post it before I went on my little vacation and I had some down time. **

**And now, please enjoy this chapter.**

**SPOV**

It'd been three weeks since our date to the movie, and we'd gone out 5 other times, two of them to the fairs in town, and the other 3 we'd gone to dinner and then out dancing. Tonight however I was going to Fangtasia to meet him, for business.

I sighed sadly, I wasn't really in the mood to pick the minds of the people at Fangtasia, but with all of the activity around Bon Temps I had to do it, for the safety of my friends, family, and the other people around here.

I buttoned my jeans and readjusted my shirt before I walked out of my bedroom and into the living room, it was empty. Dermot, Claude and the kids were on vacation, something Claude had been adamant about going on. It was weird not having anyone here; the house always had someone besides me, now it was quiet, nothing moved aside from me and every little sound the old house made had my skin crawling.

Not that I really had any reason too, nobody wanting to hurt me could even get on my property let alone in my house. Yet I was still freaking out. I grabbed my keys and purse before heading out the door, locking it behind me, before I walked down to my car.

I drove without the radio, letting the sounds of the car and the night fill my ears. It was cooler outside then normal, refreshing after all the heat that had swept through. When I finally arrived at Fangtasia the parking lot was packed, the line inside was unbelievably long, and I could feel a lot of vampire brains.

I opened the door to my car and stepped out, snatching the phone out of my purse before storing it under the seat. I locked the door then, put the phone into my pocket and walked up to the door, Pam was checking the ID's tonight, she spotted me and flashed a fangy smile, "Sookie, please go in."

"Thanks Pam." I said, walking in past her, ignoring the hateful comments from those in line. I went straight to the bar, snatching the last bar stool and turning around to scan the crowd, Eric wasn't hard to spot, he was standing with two other vampires chatting, I noticed Vera and Alexsandra were sitting at a table beside him, also watching the crowd.

_Sook, do you know what's going on? _Vera's mind called out, I shook my head, _great, so Eric isn't telling anyone anything. _

I shrugged; he would be telling me tonight, I'd make sure of it. I leaned back against the bar and opened my shields enough so that I could hear the humans in the bar. None of them were really thinking anything 'dangerous'. Just about them hoping one of the vampires would talk to them, maybe having them bite them, and of course those hoping to get laid.

I opened my shields a little wider and listened for anything dangerous, because what Eric wanted me listening for was unknown to me. But once more I didn't hear anything, and after awhile I started getting a headache from all of the thoughts running through my head that weren't my own.

A guy with spiky black hair and dark eyes sauntered up to me; I instantly blocked his thoughts, and took a sip of the beer I had ordered. He stood there, staring at me for a long time, "you look awfully lonely." He finally said.

"And?" I asked, my mind still scanning the crowd.

"I thought maybe you could use some company." I slipped into his mind, he was saying the truth. I turned to face him.

"Well thanks, but I'm actually waiting for my boyfriend." I turn him down, my eyes going over his head to find Eric glaring at us, I raise an eyebrow at him and he summons me with a bent finger, "there he is."

"Oh, sorry." He whispers, a light red tinting his cheeks.

"You didn't know thanks though. For the thought." I slide off the bar stool and cross over to Eric, "you do know I'm not one of your minions, asking me to come over might be more polite."

"You still came over." He points out, gesturing for me to sit across from him, I roll my eyes at him and lean against the table, "oh now you're going to be stubborn."

I shrug at him, "so what's the deal?" I asked, gesturing to Vera and Alexsandra in the booth behind him.

"We'll discuss it when everyone is gone. For now, just enjoy yourself, and listen in. Would you like to dance?" I listened to the song on playing over the speakers; it had a slow and haunting melody.

"I would." I answer, holding my hand out to him. He took my beer and set it on the table next to his TruBlood, his hand took mine and pulled me toward the other couples dancing, and he pulled me flush against him as we danced.

His cool hand rested on my lower back, pressing me into him while my head rested on his chest, listening to the silence of him, once in awhile his chest would rise and then fall, I didn't know what he was breathing in, me, someone else, or just breathing in for some weird reason.

"Sookie." He said suddenly, his voice rumbling through my body, "lets sit." He sweeps me up and rushes off the dance floor, slipping into a spot in the booth across from Vera and Alexsandra, "Good evening girls, how is your night going?" Eric asks, casually draping his arm over my shoulders.

"It's going wonderful Eric, but you're blocking my view of the most delicious thing in the bar." Vera replies sweetly, her eyes had been previously locked on Pam.

Eric moves so she can have her view back and turns to Alexsandra, "and your night?"

"I'd rather be at home reading, but I'm stuck here." She replied icily, her eyes narrowing at Eric. I rested my head on his shoulder, "you better have a good reason, your _majesty." _She said with a sickeningly sweet smile.

Eric waves his hand dismissively in the air, "in good time, witch." She glared at him as she lifted her glass to her lips and took a gulp.

It hadn't been until the humans started filing out that I really noticed the overwhelming amount of vampires present in the bar, more than just Eric's guards. Then I notice Sam enter the bar with Jannalynn and Alcide behind him, along with Dermot who looks none to happy to be here. The front door shuts with a bang and Pam is soon standing beside where I'm sitting looking at Eric expectantly. Everyone is looking at him expectantly; he just sits there, "Northman." Vera growls, "Why are we all here?"

He sighs and asks me to slide out of the booth; I comply and moved to stand beside Dermot, watching as Eric moves to the center of the room, everyone is watching him, and he's glancing to the back hallway behind Dermot and me. I crane my head around far enough to see a tall man in a thin white t-shirt emerging from the door, his hair is black with a red glow and his eyes are dark, almost obsidian, and glowing faintly, much like his whole body.

He gives me a curious look as he passes me and goes to stand beside Eric; I notice they're the same height, relatively the same build, but the man beside he seems to be the darker version of Eric. I chuckle at the comparison in my head.

"What the fuck." I wasn't sure who said it first, Vera, Pam, Alexsandra or Dermot, but Eric glanced at Dermot out of all of them and smiled.

"Pam you've swept for bugs right?" she nods and then Eric looks at Vera, "that spell I told you about?"

"Did it, no bugs. Tell us what's going on Northman. I'm getting more annoyed by the minute." She snaps.

"Alright." He lets out a sigh and rolls his eyes before turning to the man beside him, "this is Mikhail, he came to me a few days ago with some information I found rather interesting, and upon some digging I found his story to be true. I will let him tell you what he told me." Eric comes to stand beside me.

"A fairy named Linda, who is part Fae and part Demon, is helping the demons plan an attack against all of us, she wants to wipe out vampires, shifters, Weres and anyone else who opposes her little idea. I have no clue when she is going to launch this attack, but she has a lot of power behind her, and she is out for complete eradication of your species."

"Why do you care demon boy?" someone all but hissed, Mikhail just chuckled and then held his hand up to silence the growing whispers.

"I care, because unlike my fellow demons, I have friends among you, and I would not like to see them killed by Linda and Dion." At the mention of Dion everyone began talking loudly all worried, scared voices.

"Alright calm down." Eric tried to yell over the chaos, but it didn't work, he tried again, but was answered with the same result.

"_**Shut up**_." Vera's voice was so loud it shook the building, I glanced at her quick enough to see her eyes changing from dark black to their natural color as she leaned into Pam's side.

"Thank you." Eric now stood beside Mikhail once more, "now I've called you all here because we're going to need to plan, get some type of system together, we're going to have to…"

He kept talking but I tuned him out, I heard something, outside. I cocked my head to the side stepped farther away from the vampires and dropped my shields, casting out a net to search for what I had heard a lone thought crept into my head.

_I can't wait to kill these blood suckers. _The voice sounded pure evil, but still had that tone like ringing bells. I hardly had time to think as I pulled the thoughts from her brain, they were surrounding the building.

"They've surrounded us." I whisper to nobody in particular, "_get down!" _I scream as the first explosion rocks the building, the ceiling crumbles and a hard, warm body slams into mine, we hit the floor in a crumpled heap.

**_I apologize for the shortness. _**


	12. Chapter 12

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

**AN: After I finish this I'll be redoing some stories that I had posted and or never finished like Co-Star's, Sookie in Wonderland, and a possible newer version of Wanted. I'm also going to be redoing a few others of my random one shots, like the Pam on Lopez thing I did. Mostly because she keeps popping up in every show I've seen. **

**Now with that out of the way, enjoy. **

**SPOV**

"_They've surrounded us." I whisper to nobody in particular, "__**get down**__!" I scream as the first explosion rocks the building, the ceiling crumbles and a hard, warm body slams into mine, we hit the floor in a crumpled heap._

The second and third explosion rocked the ground and made my ears ring; everything starts to sound like I'm listening through a cup, the body on top of me suddenly disappeared, and a fourth explosion had me watching the roof coming down at me.

Distantly I heard a male voice roaring my name, two distinct pairs of strong hands pulled me up, and Eric pressed me to his chest before running off with me behind a guy with dark hair.

_Here they come I'm going to rip that blonde shits head off. _How could such a sweet voice say something as horrible as that? I paused to wonder for a second.

"No. She's waiting. Stop." Eric stops instantly, grabbing the guy in front of him and pulling him back, "put me down." Eric obliged and set me on my feet, the world spun for a moment, "do you have any weapons?" Eric shakes his head no.

"You have me." Vera supplies helpfully materializing beside me, Pam at her side, "Alexsandra already blasted her way through everyone else. Come on, where's that frickin' fairy when you need him?" she was being utterly sarcastic.

Vera glanced around her eyes landing on Mikhail, "come 'ere demon boy." She set her hand on his shoulder, after a few seconds he slumped slightly and Pam came to support him while Vera stepped in front of us.

I watched as the glow around her grew darker, the bit of her eye I could see went completely black and she just radiated power, she looked really creepy.

"What is she doing?" I asked in a quiet voice, feeling rather tired. I leaned against Eric, his strong arm circling around my waist to hold me up. Vera stepped outside I heard a few cries and then everything was a blur and I was in the back of the car beside a weary Mikhail, Vera slid in beside me, slamming the door and screaming for Eric to drive, with a rather colorful bit of vocabulary.

Her eyes were black still and there was a shimmering glow, black with streaks of pure white breaking through it, surrounding her as she watched out the window, I saw her lips moving but couldn't make out the words, and then the building behind us exploded completely.

A few people followed us, but when they got to the edge of the property they seemed to be trapped there, terrified looks on their faces as the building behind them blew up, like a vampire was kept out of a house, they were trapped inside the property. It was really cool.

"It won't last long, so move your ass. We're going to Sookie's. I'm sorry we're invading, but your house is safest and Alexsandra is already beefing up the spell. This isn't up for discussion Sookie."

Vera's words are jumbled together and hardly make much sense to me because I'm suddenly hit with a wave of nausea and blinding pain when I start to turn, so I just nod, adjusting and letting out a shaky breath. My ribs were aching, my shoulder and head throbbed and my leg was burning, and the pit of my stomach was throbbing.

We got to my house quickly and once we drove through the property line I felt the magic, literally, wash over me. I smiled contently and slumped down in the backseat, every part of me aching, throbbing or doing some other word that describes pain.

It's painful for me to get out of the car, but I manage to do it with minimal pain to every part of me that was hurt, Eric comes around to help me stand, I lean on him heavily, cursing Linda in my head for the pain that was shooting through my body.

People were sitting outside my house there was some weird light globe thing floating overhead, and people were tending to wounds, "we'll all be staying outside so you'll still have your privacy, so don't worry about it." Vera says after I'm out of the car and Eric is helping me toward the door.

"Alright." I grumble, I see Dermot pulling the door to the house open, Eric helps me into my room and cleans up a few cuts I guess I had, and then he let me sleep, which I did gladly, curling up in my bed around my pillow and passing out.

When I woke up I was sore and my head was pounding, when I went to roll over pain shot through my rib cage, I cried out and winced, slowly pushed myself up and swung my feet off the edge of the bed, sending pain jolting up my back and once more through my ribs.

The ground was cold through my socks; I quickly pulled my feet back up and then glanced toward the mirror. I was in the clothes from yesterday, which were covered in rubble dust and a little bit of blood; my hair was wrecked as well, and dirt covered my face except for a few clean patches around cuts Eric had cleaned up.

I looked at the clock, it was noon.

A shower was most definitely on my to-do list, right after getting the strength to walk there. I set my hand over my rib cage and focused hard, willing the pain away. It eased a bit, so I guess broken ribs don't count as 'minor wounds'.

Pushing off of my bed I shuffled into the bathroom, closed and locked the door, and stripped down, turning on the water and carefully getting in. The hot water helped ease the aching to a dull throb and it made me relax a lot more as I watched the dirty water circle down the drain until it turned clear.

I toweled my hair off and stepped out, wrapping the towel around me, before crossing into my room and pulling on a clean pair of shorts and a shirt, I yanked my hair into a ponytail and then went to my kitchen where Vera was sitting with Dermot.

"I thought everyone was staying outside." I commented as I poured myself a glass of orange juice, putting the orange juice container away before I turned to face Vera.

Vera chuckled, "okay, everyone but me. I needed to talk to Dermot. I'm staying in tent number 5 outside, incase you need to find me at some point. Anyways, good morning Sookie. How are you feeling?"

"Like a building fell on me, how are you feeling?" I ask, taking a gulp of my orange juice and leaning against the counter.

"Like I blew up a building, stole energy from a fire demon, and set some demi-bitch on fire." She replied, "so in other words, pretty frickin' _fantastic_. Anyways, gotta go check on everyone outside since Captain Eric and First Mate Pam went to ground. Care to come with?"

"Sure why not." I finish off the glass and follow Vera outside where it looks like some type of camping ground, there were at least 12 tents and deeper in the woods I could see a few more.

"Tent number 5 is over there, on the edge of the woods. Pam and Eric are over there." Vera says in a soft voice right beside my head, and then she tugs me off toward a crowded area where a bunch of people are sitting around discussing something with a deadly look on their faces.

I notice Mikhail is sitting at the base of a tree staring up at the sun, Vera notices my staring and we go sit right beside him, he glances at us with his now green eyes and then looks back toward the sun.

"You did the right thing you know." Vera says offhand, "I've betrayed my people too, and I know how much it sucks, but sometimes your people are worth it, you learn to make new friends. New people. New family."

"I understand that, but it still just doesn't feel good. I know its right." He says, turning to look at me, "you look just like her, your voices are different though. She has more of a bell sound to her voice."

"A bell sound?" Vera butts in, "what are you talking about? They sound exactly alike."

I say, "no we don't." and the same time Mikhail says, "They sound nothing alike."

Mikhail continues, "You can't hear it because you're a witch, you're not like the rest of us, no offense, but you have to be supernatural, naturally to hear her voice. They sound different, hers is like bells while Sookie's is more, smooth, soft. I'm not sure how to describe it really."

He sighs and pushes away from the tree, getting unsteadily to his feet; he stands with his eyes closed for a moment and then offers me his hand, "Will you come with me, Sookie?"

"Sure." I ignore his hand and get to my feet, saying goodbye to Vera before following him through the woods, walking doesn't feel good but sitting on the ground was a pain as well, "why did you want me to come with you?" I ask when the property line is in my sight.

"I didn't want to walk alone. And I was curious about how much you know about what's going on with Linda." He answers, brushing his hand across a tree.

"Nothing, why? Should I know something?" I ask, stopping dead and looking up at him, he's looking down at me with an unidentifiable emotion in his green eyes. I wonder if I tried if I could read him.

My head pounded painfully, as if telling me not to even bother. Not that I was going to anyways.

"She was meeting with your cousin Claude to get his help in the matter. If the vampires were gone he would be a lot better off too. He has joined them with some of the other Fae he has found." Mikhail says, "Whether you want to believe it or not is up to you."

"No, I believe you. I truly do. Do you know where his kids are?" was it possible Claude would put them in danger like that? He was as protective over them as a lioness would be her cubs, but they taught their young to fight.

My stomach dropped at the thought of Claude allowing them to start their life in this kind of supernatural bullcrap.

"He sent them to be with their mother, or so I heard." Mikhail answers, his eyes on something at the property line, "let's get back. I've got to get some sleep before the vampires wake."

We walked back in the same silence we walked out in, I went straight into the house to find Dermot, I found him in the living room, "did you know about this?" I ask, when I find him, "did you know about Claude?"

"No. and No. I only knew he was meeting with her. I didn't know why until Mikhail told us, I didn't think it was relevant." Dermot replies, "He's on one side, we're on the other."

"What if they kill him? Or us?" I ask, "What will happen to the kids? They don't really like their mother. Did he even think about this?"

"Would you think twice about something that would ensure your children's safety for the rest of their lives?" Dermot counters, "it's a stupid thing to do, but a) Linda is a persuasive little bitch and b) he'd do anything for his kids. She used his hate for vampires and his kids against him. You can't hold him responsible."

I slump down onto the couch, "what if I just want to leave? What if I don't want to be apart of this? I don't want anything to do with these wars. This stuff, all of it. I just want it to go away and leave me alone." I whisper words I hadn't thought before spilled from my mouth, what was I saying? "I know I said hated boring, but I hate death even more. I hate destruction. I hate the thought that I could loose everyone I love."

"Then leave." Dermot said it like it was the simplest thing in the world, how could I just leave? Did I really want to? Or was I just saying that? I pulled my knees up into my chest and looked outside.

Everyone looked on edge, nervous and furious. They were ready to attack everyone; this was their war, not mine, right? I had nothing to do with this, it wasn't what I wanted, I wanted to be free, to do what I wanted, not to fight wars.

I didn't want anymore death. I wanted to get away from this. As soon as I thought it everything around me was gone, I found myself standing by a lake, it was pure blue and I could see every fish swimming through it.

The sun was high in the sky, heating up the world around me and wrapping me in a comfortable warm blanket; I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, basking in the warmth.

"You could have this you know." My head snapped around, Claudine was standing a few feet away from me, "freedom, be away from everything, but trouble will always find you Sookie. You cannot run away."

"Why not?" I snapped.

"You don't want to, for starters. Someone got into your head; you let your guard down. Those weren't your thoughts. Do you really want to run away?"

"Yes." I reply automatically, wait? Why would I run away? Run away from Eric, Dermot, Pam, Vera, my family? My friends?, "no, I don't want to run away. How did they do that?"

"Linda is very skilled. She's had a life time to practice her skills; you have not had as much practice. But keep your guard up or she will get in. There is so much you need to know Sookie, so much I can teach you. It wasn't by chance that Claude and Dermot were trapped outside, fate wanted you to change."

"What?"

"Sookie, your powers are far greater than those you know about. Come sit with me, and I will tell you about them." She pointed to a chair and sat down in another.

"How are you even here?" I whisper, still staring at her, it's really her. Claudine is really here.

"I might be dead Sookie, but I used the last of my power for something good. Now hush we don't have enough time to discuss how we're talking right now. Your powers need to be discussed. So sit down and be quiet." She said sweetly, smiling at me, I nodded and kept my mouth shut while she began to talk.

When I woke up I almost screamed, one second I was with Claudine by a lake the next I was staring at Eric's dirty and confused face, I jumped when I saw him and sat up, pushing him away, "why are you so close?"

I looked around, I was lying on my living room floor, Eric stood over me, Pam was watching curiously from across the room and Dermot was sitting in the same place he was when I came in to talk to him.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Eric asked, pulling me to my feet.

"I'm fine Eric." I reply, and I was being honest. I felt better then fine, refreshed even, energetic. And apparently more like a fairy then I wanted. I quickly stumbled away from Eric and pointed at the door, "outside with you two, now."

Both were gone in a matter of seconds, I stood leaning against the door frame taking everything in, Claudine had told me so much more than I could have ever hoped to learn from Claude and Dermot, who both would only share if I asked the right questions. And way more then I could learn from the book, well there was some more I needed to learn from the book.

Like things about Dion.

"You knew that Claudine did that, didn't you?" I asked, not in an accusing tone, just out of pure curiosity.

"I knew. Yes. Was it enlightening?"

"Oh yes, very." I replied, "I'll be in my room." I told him as I walked out, I made sure my door was locked, the curtains were drawn and nobody was in here before I pulled out the two books from the place I'd hidden them, in a tiny hidden space in my floor boards under my bed. I laid the books down on my bed and flipped the book about the Fae open, scanning for any reference to Dion.

Even though the paragraph said there was nothing to be found about him I figured it wouldn't hurt to double check. While I did I read a little more about Linda, not much was really written about her. And the things I'd learned about her from Claudine were enough to make me keep my guard up.

And I'd have to do something so people would be able to tell us apart, I know Mikhail had said that our voices were different to some people, but it couldn't be possible for everyone to tell us apart.

I sighed and re-hid the books, threw on some new clothes and sprayed some perfume on, to half-assedly cover up the Fae scent that was lingering. Then I went out front to find Vera, who was sitting helpfully with her sister, Eric and Pam.

"So, what do we do if people get Linda and I mixed up? If someone accidentally kills the wrong one." I ask, sitting beside Vera and glancing over at Eric, he's staring at me with confusion.

"Well, wearing something that you would think she never would, kinda like a name tag would work. Wear a dress or something, 'cause she's a jeans kinda girl." Mikhail suggested.

"Okay, well that's all I really wanted to ask. So, yeah. What are you guys talking about?" I inquire, looking around at all faces, and they all looked grim.

"Murder," Pam offered, "War. The good stuff." She grinned. I fought the grimace making its way to my face and looked down at my feet.

"They're building up supplies and we're stuck here. There is no way for us to get supplies." Mikhail said, obviously picking up a conversation they had been having.

Eric ran his hand through his hair, "yes and of course they have their magic abilities and whatever else you demons can do. What supplies to we really need? I know you guys need food, but I'm sure we can get Bill to do that."

"Yeah, because they won't notice him coming, they're surrounding the perimeter. He won't get in and we need food." Mikhail snaps, "Just because you guys can eat anyone here."

"Well, I can do it." I offer, they all turn their eyes to me bewildered, "I can teleport to a store, get some food and bottled blood and come back. And anything else you guys need. Claudine taught me how to."

"Claudine? Your _dead_ fairy god mother?" Pam asks, looking at me like I've lost my mind.

"Yes, that one, remember how I was unconscious and when I came back I smelled good enough to eat?" I snapped, "well, I was talking to her, she did something so that when I really needed her help she could teacher me what I needed to know."

"Like that you can teleport?" Pam asks slowly, "Can you take someone with you?"

"Yes, like that I can teleport. And yes I can take someone with me." I answer, narrowing me eyes at her "so, do you want my help?"

"Yes, we would like your help." Vera cuts in before Pam has a chance to say anything, "who wants to go with her?"

"I'll go," Pam offers, "Eric is needed here and she needs someone who has money to go with her and can carry all those bags."

The look in her eye tells me that was not the real reason she wanted to go but I didn't feel like arguing, "Fine, anything specific you guys want?" Mikhail rattled off a few things, then we asked the pack leaders and I tugged Pam into my room.

"You know Sookie; if you wanted to get me alone you could have just asked." Pam purred, stepping over to me, "I'm sure Eric would protest but I mean, who cares."

"He slept with you, so it'd only be fair." I replied, snatching her hand up and tugging her closer to me, I closed my eyes and pictured the back alley of a grocery store and felt a weird tug.

Pam let out a weird sound and I heard a pop, the foul odor of dumpsters filled my nose, "Oh that smells disgusting." I grumbled.

"What do you smell? Because what I smell is pretty delectable." She purred, I dropped her hand and stepped away from her, "sorry." She amended.

"It's okay Pam. Come on lets get this over with." I started to walk away and my legs felt like jelly. Pam's arm wrapped around me and held me up, "I think I'm okay now." I say a few minutes later, she lets me go and we walk toward the store.

Once the shopping was done we returned to the back alley, I grabbed her hand and pictured my kitchen, I felt the tug again and then heard another pop. We were now standing in my kitchen with Dermot.

"Well, I see Claudine taught you a few things. Do you need a cooler? I found one in the attic." He offers, seeing all the food and the small cooler we picked up.

"Yeah, that'd be great, where is it?"

"In my room."

"I'll go get it." Pam says she's gone before either of us can protest; a few minutes later she walks back into the room, "let's get this food outside."

She grabs the bags and promptly walks outside; I grab the cooler and follow her out. Everyone is sitting around outside, a few of the vampires look up when I walk by them, I drop the cooler beside Eric and grab Vera and Alexsandra, "can you two come with me, please." I demand rather than ask, I couldn't handle all the hungry vampires looking at me like I was dinner.

"Is there a spell one of you can do that will mask my scent? Because they're all looking at me like I'm dinner and I'm not up for being eaten." I ask once we're safely in my house, away from everyone else.

"Yeah, I can. Just let me go find my bag outside." Alexsandra answers slipping out the front door again.

Vera leans against the wall and stares at me, "what?" she just shrugs and glances toward the kitchen for a split second before looking back at me, "what?"

"I'm going to go find you something wear for the rest of the time, because honestly, you look like her way to freakin' much." She said and walked right past me into my room. She was so strange.

I followed her, entering the room a few minutes after her to find her going through my clothes forcefully shoving the hangers around, "are you okay?" she turns around and gives a brief nod and then digs through my clothes.

"Ready?" Alexsandra asks pushing the bedroom door shut, "Sit over there. Vera, chair." The spell was quick and simple, the only thing that really happened was Alexsandra's eyes flashed white and Vera slumped down in her chair a little bit.

"So did it work?" both girls shrug and call Eric in, her confirms that it worked and I grin happily.


	13. Chapter 13

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

**Sorry if it seemed rushed or the fight scene wasn't as awesome as it could have been but for what I had in mind Sookie wouldn't be doing much fighting because she's really no match for a lot of demons, she is only part Fae. **

**Hope those of you reading enjoy, one short chapter after this and then its done. I apologize for spelling/grammar mistakes. I've tried to find as many as possible, but spell check is broken and I'm dyslexic, and rather tired right now.**

**Enjoy~**

**SPOV**

We were all sitting outside now, Alexsandra had un-cast the spell that put the fake light in the air. Everyone was lying around staring up at the sky; there was a full moon in two days, which was when we were going to run into trouble.

"We should attack then." Someone commented off hand. Eric grunted in reply, they'd clearly had this conversation before; I was sitting in a camping chair between Vera and Eric, staring at the starry sky.

It was humid and hot with a light breeze; I think the sticky air was making everyone grumpy, and the looming war about to take place, with the enemy surrounding the house. Maybe we should just teleport away that could be a plan, right? And then when they finally broke the barrier we wouldn't be here about to get massacred.

I voiced my thoughts, and everyone turned to look at me, mostly like I had three heads, "well, it could work." I point out, trying to find one face that isn't staring at me like I was bonkers. I didn't luck out.

"How could that work?" a Were asked, "Why would we run?"

"It's not running, it's relocating. If we're not here, and they can't tell, when they break through ready for a fight they wont know what to do. It would give us the upper hand. By the time they found us, we'd have a plan."

Now they were looking at me like I made some sense, good. "Could you do that?" Eric asked, sitting up and looking over at me.

"I could try. I mean, I'm not sure if I could really do it, but I can try." I reply nodding my head firmly, "Claudine said it was possible for me to teleport more than one person at a time. But it requires a lot of energy."

"Sookie, you almost fell over just teleporting me." Pam points out.

"Only the first time, I was just fine when we came back. So maybe it was just because it was the first time I'd ever done it." I reply, "I mean it was really not that bad. It's worth a shot, right?"

"Where would we go? They know every bit of property owned by the vampires and the packs." Mikhail points out. I glance over at Alexsandra, who looked up sensing my eyes on her.

"We could go to my place. I have a lot of property so tomorrow they'd be safer changing, but I'd need an hour to put spells on the property before you teleported people there." She says thoughtfully, "it's a good idea. Nobody really knows where I live, not even Vera."

"I will now." She replies with a grin, "I'll come help you cast, and we'd need to bring demon boy, because he's a great source of fire-y energy." She grins; he shakes his head with a smile on his face.

"Okay." Eric says he looks over to the pack leaders who nod in agreement. I stand up and we go in the house, Alexsandra gives me her address and thinks loudly about her backyard so I can get a mental image of it. I make sure I'm touching all three and picture her place, the tug is stronger this time and the pop louder and then I'm standing in her backyard with Mikhail, Vera and Alexsandra all looking around stunned.

"What, you think I pulled all that food out of my ass before?" I tease, Vera smirks, "okay, we'll text you. Go back, get some rest, you're going to be busy soon." I nod and teleport back to my bedroom, Eric is sitting in a chair in the corner.

"Everything all good?" he asks when I lay down on my bed, I nod and close my eyes, "so they're doing the spells?"

"Yeah, I'm going to rest since I've got a lot to do later." I mumble my eyes half closed. The bed down by my feet sinks down, "what is it?"

"Nothing." he answers, sounding tired.

I guess I was kind of tired, and by kind of, I mean I was almost asleep now, "wake me up when Vera calls." I close my eyes and that's the end of it.

I was woken up two hours later by Pam who demanded I pack up clothes and things I would want before I started teleporting. I didn't try to teleport more than three people at a time, I didn't want to risk anything bad happening, I had teleported mostly everybody over to Alexsandra's property, now the only people left were Pam and Eric.

"Ready?" I asked as I materialized beside them, both of them nodded and stepped toward me, I took Eric's hand in one of my hands and Pam's in the other. Once they joined hands I pictured Alexsandra's backyard and my house disappeared.

Everyone had settled outside with the exception of Pam, Eric, Vera, Alexsandra and me, we were spread around Alexsandra's living room, discussing a plan of attack. I was only half listening, because they weren't really interested in involving me in the first place.

But I knew the general idea. They wanted to attack on the second day of the full moon, figuring the demons surrounding my property would be distracted trying to figure out where we were.

Alexsandra's house was shockingly close to mine, only about 15 minutes away, so travel wouldn't be to hard and there would definitely be an element of surprise for all of us to come up.

Once we had that figured out Eric went about planning who would attack where based on what we knew of which demons were on which parts of my property. They consisted of water demons, which were the ones I wasn't going anywhere near, fire demons, where would be Mikhail's family, earth demons, who would be bad for the vampires to attack.

And those were just the low-rank demons. Linda had others, and Dion had a plethora of servants, and a marching Horde, which was basically a pack of demons sent to raise war. Those were the ones I was worried about, when Mikhail had described them even Eric seemed worried, and if it worried Eric it definitely worried me.

"And of course she could have incubi and succubi with her, not that you have to worry unless you get knocked out." Mikhail said, dragging me from my thoughts, "Sookie, you need to watch out, demons are drawn to Fae so be very careful."

"I will." I reply, "Is anything else going to catch my scent and try to kill me?"

"Imps might want to get to you, just because." Mikhail says, "Did Claudine teach you to do anything else besides teleport?" I nod, but don't explain what it is; Claudine told me it was safer for me not to trust everyone.

I was still slightly baffled as to how she knew about all of this, the spell was from years ago, yet she talked to me like she had been living my life with me the whole time. It was so strange.

Once more someone said something to me, "Huh?" I inquired, "Sorry I spaced out."

"Eric was saying that you should shower, have some food and rest for the next few days." Pam explained, watching her masters retreating back. I nod absently, and get to my feet, walking into the kitchen, my head spun a little when I stood.

Vera was sitting at the kitchen table eating a sandwich, "Hey Sook, there's more sandwich's on the counter." I glance toward the counter, grab a sandwich, and grab a can of soda, sitting down across from her and taking a bite of it. It was ham and cheese.

"These are good, you make em?" I ask before taking a gulp of the soda.

"Yeah, got bored listening to them talk about the fight. Pam's being all nut-joby about me fighting. Like I'm going to get killed." She rolled her eyes, "I mean Eric's letting you."

"Gee, thanks for that." I grumbled, biting into the sandwich again.

"Sorry, I just mean it's not fair that Pam's being all crazy, and Eric's just like "whatever" about you fighting." She grumbles, "I mean he doesn't even seem worried."

I shrug, finishing off the sandwich and taking another gulp of my soda, "he knows that even if he tells me not to I'm going to do it."

"Which doesn't mean that I don't care, I just don't want to argue with her," Eric says, pulling the chair beside me out and sitting down, "it's not like it would do me any good. She'd just do it anyways, and at least this way she might listen to me if I tell her to not do certain things."

"Yeah, don't hold your breath on that one." Vera jokes, taking a gulp of her lemonade.

"I can hold my breath until the day I'm staked, it won't make a difference." Eric replied, Vera rolled her eyes and took her glass, leaving the kitchen quickly, "you know I am really worried about you doing this. It's not your war."

"That's funny, that's the same thing Linda tried to make me think so I'd ditch. Clearly she's worried about me joining you guys." I reply, "And anyways, you guys are my friends, and they're going to wreck my house, so I'd say it's my war now. Besides, how many times have I been involved in things that aren't my problem since Bill walked into my life?" I reply.

"Fair point, but all I'm saying is, you don't need to be in this one." He points out, "so, how are you feeling? Not to light headed from the teleporting I hope."

"Sort of I mean, kinda, its fading." I answered, "The food is helping, and the soda. I just need some sleep. Maybe I should go to bed, I'll ask Alexsandra what room I can stay in." I tell him standing up, I sway on my feet a little bit and Eric's strong arm wraps around my waist.

"Come on, I know which room you're using. She's got vampire tight windows, so I'm going to share the room with you. That's okay right?"

"Of course Eric, just get me upstairs before I fall over." I tell him, "I feel suddenly exhausted."

"Alright." He scoops me into his arms and takes me up the stairs, I feel a soft bed underneath my back and I snuggle into the pillow beneath my head. The bed sinks beside me and Eric wraps his arm around my waist, "rest well. The sun will be up soon."

I never really noticed how well I fit in Eric's arms, and now nice and safe I felt sleeping in them. I had glanced at the clock when I woke up 20 minutes ago, it was 5:45, and the sun would be going down, so Eric would rise soon.

I closed my eyes, trying to get a bit more rest; unfortunately Eric stirred beside me, I heard him take a deep breath in, and he loosened his grip on me, "good evening Sookie, did you sleep well?"

"Mmm, yes." I replied, yawning, my hand covering my mouth, "I need to…." I gestured toward the bathroom door, he loosened his arms and I rolled out of the bed, grabbing my bathroom bag before I went into the bathroom.

I took care of my human needs and brushed my teeth before walking back into the bedroom, Eric was still sprawled on the bed, I crawled in next to him and snuggled back into his chest, he wrapped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head, "I forgot how nice it was to wake up with you."

"Mmm, it is nice." I mumble into his neck, my eyes shut tight, I stifled a yawn.

"Did you get enough sleep? Are you hungry?" he inquires, sitting us both up.

"Yeah I got enough sleep, and I'm kind of hungry." I answer, "Do you need a TruBlood? I can go get one and bring it back here."

"That'd be nice, but I can go get my own. Let's get dressed and head downstairs." He stands up and I'm still lying in the bed, eyes closed. I hear him moving around and when I crack my eyes open I'm met with the sight of his bare ass.

I smirked to myself and laid there watching him get dressed, enjoying the way his back muscles moved as he pulled his shirt on. He turned around and shook his head at me, tossing a shirt and a pair of jeans at me. I changed shirts and pulled the jeans on over my shorts before following him down the stairs.

After we ate everyone sat around and talked and joked, the Weres were all out running around and enjoying the night while the vampires stood guard outside watching for demons, save for Pam and Eric who sat inside with us.

Around 4 all of us went back to our rooms and slept again until it was nearly sun down the next night. I was with Pam's group of people so I stayed with her most of the night while she gave orders.

We had a few more minutes before we were ready to move out, it was almost 9 o'clock when Eric pulled me away from everyone else. I figured he was going to tell me not to get myself killed, but instead he pushed me up against the living room wall and kissed the life out of me.

"If you die out there, I will find you, turn you into a vampire, and kill you again." He says, resting his forehead on mine, "I don't want to lose you again. I made a stupid choice not fighting harder to not marry the queen, and I want to fix us. I love you Sookie."

Before I could answer him he kissed me long and hard before he was gone and I was alone in the living room. I closed my eyes for a brief minute and then went back out to find Pam who was watching Vera and Eric disappear into the wood, Alexsandra was standing with Mikhail in another group, and they started to walk off as well. Dermot was standing in the back of the fourth group with a sword in his grip. He was talking to one of the Weres.

"Come on Sookie." Pam said, tugging my arm. We started off through the woods. Our group was the second to last group. Eric and Mikhail's group were the first and then our group. The group Dermot was in would come a little bit later.

I could hear the sounds of fighting before we even saw it; I smelt blood and my stomach knotted. Pam jumped right into a fight, leaving me to stand alone and survey the area with a sword gripped loosely in my hand.

I had one job that I was to do, and it would probably take me forever to find her. It didn't take long for a demon to rush toward me with a gross grin on his darkened face. He was almost like an ink blob with only shinny red eyes and a mouth full of pointy teeth.

I brought the sword down on his neck the way Pam had taught me and his exploded all over my dress. I was disgusted in a second, but it was the only way to tell Linda and me apart. I was wearing a dress and it was highly improbable that she would too because dresses weren't good for fighting.

A second and third demon ran toward me, only one made it to me and I ran him through with the heavy sword and once more he exploded on me. Linda was clearly not around here, so I ran through the thick trees, trying to get closer to my house.

I'd never been one to enjoy killing, but I had to try and not think about it as I ran through and killed the few demons that tried to kill me, but as I got deeper into the fighting I started getting swarmed. My arms were cut up and I had a gash on my left calf, the sword had long ago been ripped from my hands and now at least twenty demons were advancing on me.

I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath, trying to focus on feeling my magic. There was a tug in my stomach, and then a spark shot up my spin and tingles moved through my limbs. I opened my eyes and found I was glowing bright, I held my palm out like Claudine had instructed and a bright purple light shot out, slicing right through the ink blob demons and a few of the human ones. I used my other hand to get rid of more until they were all gone and I jumped to my feet, running toward my house.

Before I got to it I found Mikhail slumped by a tree, trying to catch his breath it seemed, I kneeled beside him, "have you seen her?"

"I think she's in the house. Hiding. She can't fight well."

"Thanks." I pushed myself up and ran toward the house, finding a sword lying on the ground that I used to get rid of a few more attackers before I made it up the steps of my back porch and into the house. There were a few dead demon bodies and a few dead shifters that I recognized lying on the floor through the house.

I crept silently, trying not to alert anyone to my presence, toward the stairs. I spotted Linda's blonde head disappear around the corner, and a demon slipped down the stairs. Was this Dion?

He was handsome, with dark hair that almost seemed to shimmer too much to be real. His skin was tan and his shoulders were broad, he was very muscular. His eyes found me where I was hiding in the darkness and he smiled.

"Sookie Stackhouse, right?" I nod, "it will be a shame to have to kill my daughter doppelganger." He says with a sadden sigh as I raise the sword. He smiles sadistically at me, raising his palm so it's facing me. I toss the sword toward him raising my own.

White light meets red in an explosion and the sword slams into his leg, breaking his concentration, my power hits him and he explodes. Lucky me, I get covered in his goo, "Dad?"

I shrink back into the corner when I hear Linda's footsteps, she sounds worried, "dad?" My hands are shaking, Claudine said our power would be matched, and only one of us would survive. She didn't know who, apparently.

Linda moved back up the stairs, heading down the hall. I followed her careful to avoid the creaking floorboards. She was in Dermot's room; she spun to face me when I cleared my throat behind her.

"Hello Sookie, I expected Eric to at least send you with a weapon."

"He did, but I lost it killing you dad." I didn't really know where the words came from, but I was sure they had come out of my mouth. Anger flared in her eyes. I noticed she was wearing a dress, it was exactly like mine. We looked the same.

"Then you will be defenseless when I kill you." I had maybe a millisecond to react when the power burst from her palm, I raised mine up and like with Dion our power met in the middle, but instead of being equally matched, hers began to over power mine.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, the tingles that ran through my body intensified, when I opened my eyes the glow was brilliant white and I couldn't see Linda at all around it, another shock traveled up my spine and my head spun.

The last thing I heard was a deep voice roaring my name and the last thing I saw was the white light exploding before I was pitched across the attic where I hit the wall hard and dropped to the ground on my face.


	14. Chapter 14

**Title: Dead Lost**

**Summery: Eric left a year ago, but now Sookie's being pulled back into his life. The initial mystery Sookie is asked to solved is over come simply, but now Eric wants to start over with Sookie, will they be able to get it together, or will the year apart and the changes that came with it drive them apart for good?**

**Rated: M. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the words I write. The characters, themes and products most likely belong to someone else, except for any names/persons not mentioned in True Blood or the Sookie Stackhouse novels. **

_The last thing I heard was a deep voice roaring my name and the last thing I saw was the white light exploding before I was pitched across the attic where I hit the wall hard and dropped to the ground on my face. _

It had been two weeks since I'd woken up in a hospital bed in Alexsandra's house with no memory of anything after finding Linda in the attic of my house. I was back on my feet after a week long period of bed rest and helping out at the hospital helping speed up the healing process of people that got hurt.

It was really the only thing anyone would let me do, they were keeping me in the dark about everything, Eric refused to tell me what happened to my house, or Pam, Vera and Alexsandra. I couldn't find anybody that knew anything while I was helping out, and the only other person who could possibly help me was Mikhail, but he was unconscious.

The thought to teleport to my house crossed my mind, and I tried once, but I was still too drained of energy from whatever I did that Eric wouldn't tell me I did so I always ended up with nothing but a headache from trying.

I was determined to find out exactly what happened to my house, whether Eric wanted to tell me or not. I was feeling a lot better now and I could remember a few things, like Linda being dressed like me, and using a lot of power, and Eric's voice screaming no. But I didn't know why he was yelling or what I was using the power for; it was going to bother me until he answered me.

Though I can't blame him for not telling me why right away, the first time I'd seen him after I woke up I jumped him and we stayed at his house for three days. I'd missed him, and even after all of the crap we'd been through I couldn't help but _not _want to be with him.

But now he was just pissing me off, it was my house and I had a right to know what the hell happened. Besides now I was wondering if maybe my house had been destroyed, completely taken down or something.

I finished with my last patient and marched off to find Eric; he was drinking a TruBlood and talking to the woman at the counter. I walked over, grabbing his arm as I passed and tugging him with me outside, he gave me a curious look when I finally turned to glare at him, "tell me, now."

"Tell you what?" he asks.

"Where Pam, Vera and Alexsandra are, and what the fuck happened to my house! I'm sick of not knowing. Tell me now or I'm going to find out on my own, my house isn't that far through the woods!" he just sighed.

"Fine, ruin a good surprise." He grumbled, setting his TruBlood on a bench before he pulled out his phone and typed something in, his phone beeped a minute later, he checked it typed back and stepped over to me, holding out his hand.

I took it and tugged me into his chest, I felt us lift off of the ground and tucked my head into his chest as we moved toward my house, landing at the end of my drive way. Eric took my hand, most likely to keep me from running toward the house, and we walked slowly up the drive way.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I finally saw my house, it was completely standing but looked like it had just been repaired, it was completely painted yet, but there was a crew of vampires working on that. Eric tugged my hand, pulling me toward the door and up the steps.

As we got closer I picked up on two human brains and a vampire brain in my house, when Eric pulled me into the kitchen I found Pam, Vera and Alexsandra sitting on the floor on laptops.

"Hey Sookie." Vera said, her eyes flicking up to my face for a moment before turning back to her computer. Pictures, magazines, and notepads were all over the floor around them. In a few of the pictures I recognized the charred remains of my couch.

"What the hell happened?" I demanded of Eric, he raised an eyebrow at me, "I don't remember anything Eric, you know that. What happened to my house!" I screamed.

"Well, I went upstairs during the fight and you were with Linda, though at the time I didn't know which of you was which. I'm not sure what you guys were doing but there was a surge of power from you and you flew back into the wall as the white energy hit Linda and exploded, the second story was gone after Linda turned to Fairy Dust. You don't remember anything?"

"Didn't I just say that? The last thing I remember was going upstairs where Linda was after I killed her dad. And what happened to the downstairs?"

"You killed her dad?" Pam asked, her head snapping up so quick it was a wonder she didn't break it. I nod, "what happened when you did it?"

"I don't know, he raised his palm at me and told me that it would be a shame to kill his daughters doppelganger, then he shot this red light at me and I tossed the sword I picked up and shot white light at him and the sword hit his legs and distracted him and he exploded all over me. Why?"

"Just curious is all. You killed two powerful people in the span of 20 minutes. Good job." She said with a pleased smile before she scowled and turned back to her computer screen.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Looking for your furniture." Eric answered, "I pissed off a demon and he lit the place on fire. So I felt responsible."

I shook my head, "well if you feel responsible that's fine, but your not likely going to find my furniture."

"Well we're trying to find the closest to it. We'll show you before we buy it and you can say yes or no." Alexsandra replied, "Now get out of here for a little bit. You're distracting us." She gave me a quick smile before shooing me out of the room.

Eric towed me outside; I hadn't realized how much the house had smelled like fresh paint until I stepped outside and breathed in the fresh air, "thank you for getting my house rebuilt and my furniture replaced and everything, but why did you keep it a secret?"

"I wanted to surprise you is all, I didn't realize it was bothering you as much as it was. I'm sorry for that." He answers, "but since your house isn't ready, are you ready to go back to my house? Or were you going to pull another all nighter at the hospital?"

"I'd rather go back to your house." I answer taking his hand, "I need some sleep and a shower." He smirks and pulls me into his arms, taking to the sky once more, "and you owe me a new wardrobe too." I tease, he laughs at me, his arms tightening around me as he kisses the top of my head.

-**Fin**

**I'd like to thank everyone who read, reviewed, faved, alerted and the like, thank you so much. I love all the feedback. Now I'm going to take a rather long break and re-do all of those stories I told you about previously and work on my other personal stories for FictionPress and WattPad, so until I update my other stories, goodbye. **

**-Mel**


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